


Worth a life

by Sharry



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Development, Drama, Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Canon, hiding secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:22:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 56,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27062623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharry/pseuds/Sharry
Summary: "Finally," the doctor whispered after a second and the relief in his voice was unmistakable, "you woke up.""Who...?" He fell silent as he saw the other's face up close, stared into these strangely familiar grey eyes, which still stared at him glassy. Although he did not know this man, he was somehow no stranger to him, the wild black hair, those deep eyes, this scent. "Can it be?" he whispered, allowing the other to touch him. "Is it you, Law?"
Relationships: Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante & Trafalgar D. Water Law, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 60
Kudos: 117





	1. Prologue

Prologue

"Well, look at that. What a celebrity visiting my humble hut. What leads you to me, except for some fun with my employees? By the way, it would be kind of you to turn them back. I have to pay them one way or the other and in their present form they can do their jobs only insufficient."

The cheeky smile never left her face while the heavy gate fell shut behind him with a reverberating growl. It seemed as if she had expected him, a glass of wine in her hand and another one on the small table next to the chair with the high backrest, which was as simple as the chair on which she was awaiting him. Despite this simplicity, the room seemed almost like a throne room, as if a queen were sitting in front of him, a mighty ruler who did not have to bow to anyone.

"Come on, come in," she waved with her free hand, "after all, there must be an important reason that you just visit me without making an appointment first."

Reluctantly, he followed her words and walked deeper into the room, but almost at the same moment some huge beefcake in a suit emerged from the shadows and stood in his way.

"Any weapons?" His voice sounded as blunt as he looked. Especially considering that the newcomer showed his sword openly, leaning it against his shoulder.

"Oh, Momo, do you really think the sword is the most dangerous thing about him? Let him have his toy; he's not here to kill me. Am I right?" She still showed her slight grin, which told him exactly that she was the only person in the room he had to be wary of. "You're here for business reasons, aren't you?"

With a dull impact, he threw the sack he was carrying in front of her feet.

"Yes."

Unimpressed, she threw her legs over each other, slightly pushing the sack to the side with her toe tips. 

"Well, sit down. I'm curious what kind of contract you want to enter with me. Besides, I don't have time to spare, some of us have work to do." Almost instantly, her playful smile disappeared, and the calculating gaze of an experienced businesswoman stared him down.

"But boss, what about the appointment with...?"

"Cancel it, Momo," she interrupted the beefcake without even looking at him. "Our guest stirred my curiosity."

Suspiciously, he approached and finally sat down while she sipped on her wine.

"So, to get straight to the point..."

"Nahaha." She held her index finger up to silence him. "Before we come to your request, turn my employees back or I make sure you leave the island in this sack at my feet."

"You're threatening me?"

She laughed and took another sip.

"Oh, little one. You are the one who comes to me without an appointment, leaves guards and house staff in inhumane conditions and throws a musty smelling bag with questionable contents in front of my feet." Quietly clanking, she placed her glass on her armrest. "You're lucky that I'm curious and find you much more interesting than the other business partners waiting for me today, otherwise you wouldn't even have made it to the front door."

He wanted to believe that she was just playing big, but his neck hair told him otherwise.

With an annoyed huff, he once snapped his fingers loudly.

"There you go, all of them in humane condition again."

For a moment she looked at him, then she nodded to beefcake in the shade of some curtains and immediately he bowed and left the room.

"Well." She leaned forward and lifted the sack on the ground at a tip to take a glance inside, before sighing in disappointment. "Oh, as expected. I had hoped for something more exciting after you invaded my home like the villain of a bad novel."

Deeply inhaling, he clenched his fists. "Don't you even want to listen to my request before you just dismiss it?"

"Tze,"she laughed mockingly, rubbing her face as if he had said something really stupid. "Little one, first of all, I don't need to listen to your request, I know exactly why you are here, in the end you are all the same when you visit me so desperately. I mean this garbage bag here is a tiny, abnormally smelly clue, don't you think? Second, don't be so hasty when you're trying to negotiate, especially if you're the one who wants something.”

"I'm not the most patient," he squeezed out between gritted teeth.

"Not?" She replied. "What I have heard about you says differently. Thirteen years is a long time to wait for revenge, and even longer to hold on to the past."

"I'm not here to listen to your worldly wisdom," he growled. "Can you help me or not?"

She clicked her tongue again and rolled her eyes.

"Of course I can," she said. "The real question is, are you willing to pay the price?"

He nodded seriously. "No matter how high it may be."

Shaking her head, she waved off.

"Not so dramatic, little one. It's simple; both goods must have the same value, either according to objective or subjective standards of the contracting parties, a modified equivalent exchange. The scale must always be balanced."

For a moment he thought it was just a saying, but suddenly a scale appeared out of nothing and floated between them in the air.

"My stakes here are pretty high, you're not going to get away cheaply," she continued, pointing to the scale that tilted slightly in his favor.

"I don't care," he murmured, "as long as it's possible."

"It's possible. But you don't want a performance upon counter-performance, do you? You want more time. That makes it harder, because it means either you give me a little more - but that's not possible, because you're already giving me everything you have - or I'll give you a little less."

"What does this mean?" He crossed his arms. "What does less mean?"

"Oh, quite simple." She shrugged. "I could take some lifetime or an organ - one eye maybe, I mean who needs two? - or what about...?"

"No! Definitely not."

As they spoke, the scale swayed back and forth between them, exonerating their side at each suggestion for a small moment until he rejected it.

"I can offer you money," he replied, "no matter how much." But to his surprise, the scale did not move a millimeter.

"Oh, my dear little one. Objectively, you can't offset life with money and subjectively - you've seen my estate - you can't offer me enough to make me care. There are only two things I really want and you’re already giving me one of them."

"What then?" He didn't like that conversation. After years of hopelessness, she was the one who could free him, but apparently, he had nothing to offer her in return. So should he just give up merely a few seconds before reaching his goal? Giving up because of a lack of formality? "What do you want then? We both know that I can't give you any more objectively and subjectively..."

"Is there a devil power?" She interrupted him with ease while he was already getting loud. Surprised, he sank back into his chair and nodded.

"Well, we have our solution. Devil powers are always incredibly complicated, you know with all their rules, the influence of life and death and so on, but if I take that off, then... look at that." Smiling quietly, she pointed at the scale, which wavered in perfect balance between them. "Then I can even give you almost a whole year. Believe me, that's an unusual high amount. Most of the time, only a few days come around in a trade like this."

A shudder ran down his back when he realized what this scale meant, what this conversation meant, that after all this time...

"Now pull yourself together, little one. Is this your first negotiation? Oh, if I didn't have such a weakness for contracts that get me what I want, it would be far too tedious for me to negotiate with you. I don't have time to teach beginners like you the art of negotiation, so let's get to the end quickly."

He looked over to her as she stood up and approached him. Right in front of the scale, she stopped.

"We have found an agreement, little one. All that is missing now are a few small details and a handshake to seal our contract."

Hesitantly, he rose. This was what he wanted, had wanted for so long, so why did his heart beat so fast?

Smiling, she bowed her head.

"No one forces you to enter into this contract, little one. I see the uncertainty in your face, and I agree with you; your stakes are high. So if you want to back out, now would be the time..."

"No!" He walked towards her and offered his hand. "I have not traveled around the world, not disturbed the rest of the dead and given up everything just to back out now."

For a moment, he stared at the sack behind her back that he had brought here.

"This is what I want, I have to pay that debt."

"Well then, here’s to success." She grabbed his hand, right under the scale. "And don't you regret it."


	2. Chapter 1 - Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So,
> 
> this is the official beginning!
> 
> I wanted to write this fic since reading the Dress Rosa arc for the very first time (which happened like 6 years ago^^' so it's about time I guess) so I'm really glad we're finally here. This is the first time I'm crossposting the English and the German version at the same time (so for my German folks, you can find it at Fanfiktion . de called 'ein Leben wert') and I'm really excited about this story.  
> For once our dear strawhats will only play a minor role (but don't worry, they as well as Doffy will show up) and give the stage to some other characters ;-)
> 
> So, I hope you guys will have a lot of fun and see you every friday/saturday, because that's when I will update the next chapter^^
> 
> Greetings

Chapter 1 - Stranger

He woke up with a silent sigh. A deep satisfaction rested within him, as if he had dreamed something beautiful – not that he could remember – and yet he did not want to open his eyes and start the day.

So he lay there and enjoyed this relaxation. The bed under him was soft, the blanket covering his chest was warm, a gentle light illuminated the darkness even through his eyelids, and a tender breeze brought him the pleasant rustling of trees, chirping of birds, and the slight whisper of waves not far away.

Rarely had he escaped sleep so comfortable, usually a loud boom or a whispering worry had awakened him from restless dreams, but it was precisely this thought that made him alert. Why was it different this time?

He opened his eyes clumsily. Above him was a simple white ceiling, supported by wide wooden beams, to his right was an open, wide window above the bed in which he lay, which offered a view of gently swaying leaves in the wind, breaking the rays of the sun.

To his left was a simply furnished room, the floor made of the same wood as the ceiling beams, window frame, and the closed door opposite of the window. Next to it stood a narrow desk, on which books and all sorts of odds and ends piled up. The floor as well was covered with scattered books, single sheets of paper that led like a track between the desk and the bed to an open door frame, where he could see the outlines of a small kitchen.

Slowly, he sat up. This place was unfamiliar to him, even the smell of summer, wood, and sanitizer he could not really connect. Confused, he rubbed his head; he tried to remember the previous day or the last thing he had done, but he just didn't know.

Behind the closed door, he could hear muffled voices and hurried steps or the scraping of a chair, almost quieter than the rustling of the leaves to his right.

It had been cold, he recalled, colder than now, winter, and then he remembered again. He remembered the island Minion, with heavy snow. He knew he had gone there, he and... Law!

He quickly threw the blanket to the side and got up, but as if someone had pulled away the carpet under his feet, he lost his balance and fell back on the bed. In front of his eyes danced colorful dots and he felt disordered, his body was exhausted, as if he had run a lot, ran too much. Maybe he should give up smoking, for the sake of his lungs ...damn it, now he also craved for nicotine.

He rose again, this time more careful, and held on to the bedside. His legs were shaking, and breathing was still difficult for him. What had just happened? But more importantly, where was Law and was he alright? Had he made it? Had he gotten the Op-Op fruit and given it to Law? Was Law still alive?

He didn't know how long he had been in that bed, and even more so he didn't know how much time had passed since he had visited Minion, but the fear overwhelmed him, the fear that he had lost him, had not been able protect him.

Once again, his legs gave way, but this time he fell to his knees in front of the bed, unable to catch himself in time, and tried to calm his trembling breath. It was the wrong place and the wrong time to be overwhelmed by irrational fear. He had to get up and leave this room, only this way he could find out if his worst fear had come true.

Suddenly he heard approaching steps and the voice of a man before the door in front of him was opened.

"... home. This afternoon are only two appointments left, which I can do after lunch on my own with..." The man in the doctor's coat stopped in the door frame and stared at him with big eyes and open mouth, as if he had forgotten that he was just in the middle of a conversation.

"If you say so," a woman's voice answered from the hallway behind the man. "Then I'll do the early shift tomorrow, so sleep in for once. See you, and be nice to Mrs. Paipai."

The departing steps were followed by the closing of a door and suddenly it was quiet, while the man in the door frame was still staring at him, his whole jaw trembled by now.

"Finally," the doctor whispered after a second, and the relief in his voice was unmistakable, "you woke up."

He had no idea who the stranger was, who approached him with cautious steps as if trying to calm a frightened animal. He tried to stand up, but his legs still didn't want to obey him, and he stumbled forward, into the arms of the stranger, who grabbed him but still slid to the ground with him.

"Careful, careful!" the other whispered hastily, while he noticed the doctor's eye-catching tattoos on hands and forearms as the older held him, not letting go of him.

"Who...?" He fell silent as they both crouched on the ground and he saw the other's face up close, stared into these strangely familiar grey eyes, which still stared at him glassy. Although he did not know this man, he was somehow no stranger to him, the wild black hair, those deep eyes, this scent.

He was surprised when the other raised his hand and reached out for him. He wanted to back off, but something made him pause. The stranger in front of him trembled, his breath unsteady, and tears ran down his face, crying like a small child.

"Cora-san," the man whispered, and although it was impossible, although it couldn't be at all, Rosinante recognized the other.

"Can it be?" He whispered, allowing the other to touch him. "Is it you, Law?"

"Yes, Cora-san, it's me," the other sobbed, and the next moment he lay in Rosinante’s arms and wept like the little kid he was supposed to be.

He didn't understand, he just didn't understand. The man in his arms was at least as old as him, a grownup man, but Law was only thirteen years old, innocent thirteen years old.

But the trembling of the unfamiliar body, the breaking of the sobbing voice, the tears of these familiar eyes, all of this told him that despite all the impossibility this man could be none other than his little Law.

"Law," he whispered, pulling the other even closer as he couldn't stop the tears. He didn't understand what had happened, but Law was alive, his skin seemed to have returned to a normal, healthy color - apart from the tattoos, of course - and he was an adult, he was an adult.

Maybe, maybe it had something to do with the Op-Op fruit. Perhaps the healing had caused an aging process. He didn't know, he really didn't know, but for a little moment he didn't care, he just didn't care. Law was alive, that was all that mattered.

He could feel Law clutching his body, as if to make sure Rosinante was really there, not just a phantom of his imagination. Law reached for his chest, his arms, his shoulders, his hair.

His weeping eyes looked up to Rosinante, and a soft smile spread over this strangely familiar face. Now he could see it very clearly, it was undoubtedly Law.

He was fine, he was alive, and Rosinante noticed how he found it difficult not to reciprocate this trembling smile, almost unintentionally his mouth reflected the other's and suddenly Law pulled him close and pressed their lips against each other.

Rosinante froze.

He had no idea what was happening. Law – his sweet, little, dear Law – suddenly stood before him as a grown man, crying in his arms and now... now that?

He could feel the foreign lips rubbing against his, could feel the hand in his hair above his neck, which was so desperately clinging, felt the hand on his chest, just above his wildly pounding heart.

Law then suddenly opened his eyes and turned away, freed himself from Rosinante's arms, and shied away from him.

"I... I... I'm sorry," he whispered without even looking at Rosinante. "I didn't want to... I didn't want to attack you like that... I'm just... only..."

Obviously, he lacked the words; not that Rosinante was doing better in any way. He no longer understood anything. It was all like an abstruse dream, far from any reality. But those hands right now, those tears, those lips, all this was real.

Without ever finishing his sentence, the other stared at him and Rosinante had the urgent feeling that he was supposed to say something – anything - to fill the strange silence.

"It’s alright," Rosinante muttered, without really knowing what he meant by that. "I just don't understand... What's going on here...?"

The opening of a distant door interrupted him, and hurried steps came down the hallway.

"Doctor Trafalgar, where are you? Lunch break is over and... oh, you've finally woken up?"

In the door frame, behind the grownup Law – who quickly straightened up and tried to cover the traces of his tears – stood a lady, bend by age, who looked at Rosinante with a slight smile, before quickly turning to Law.

"Do you want me to cancel the appointments, Doctor?"

"No, no." Law shook his head without looking at her or Rosinante. "Mr. Maumau can only come in today and there might be emergencies; I’m on call today."

With each word, he sounded calmer and more relaxed, as if he were back in control, as if he were again master of his feelings.

"Do me a favor and give me another five minutes, Mrs. Paipai. When Mr. Maumau comes in, take him to the examination room and check if he has taken his medication. I'll come for the examination, but I need a moment.”

The old woman nodded swiftly. "Of course, I take care of it."

She stepped out and closed the door behind her.

For a moment, they were both quiet, while Rosinante looked at the man in front of him. He had grown up - really tall by the way - and his voice was deep, he sounded like a grown man and his appearance... "like a real doctor."

Grey eyes rushed towards him and a slight blush swept over Law's cheeks.

"I am a real doctor," he finally said.

"You're running a practice?" Rosinante asked the least important question he could ask, but the only one that just came to his mind.

Slowly, Law nodded as if he, too, was expecting another question.

"Just a small one. Doctor Tantan died in an accident last year and her daughter is still a student. The islands here have no one else, therefore..." he replied to the question, which was not really of interest to any of them.

"And that's why you decided to help them?"

Law shrugged. "I'm a doctor and the people here need one. I came here just by chance a few months ago. Besides, it is calm and..." Again, the other did not finish his sentence and bit his lower lip.

Rosinante, on the other hand, couldn't hold back his tears when he realized that his little Law - his little, upset, angry Law - helped people simply for the reason they needed help.

"I'm happy about that," he whispered, trying to get up again. This time he did a little better, but even now his legs were still shaking.

"Careful," Law immediately remarked, pulling him back to bed by his arm. "You should rest. You've just woken up.”

Rosinante couldn't resist a quiet giggle while he was pushed onto the bed. Now they were almost at eye level while the other in front of him folded his arms.

"You really sound like a real doctor."

"I am a real doctor," repeated the other, now more composed than before. "I know you have many questions, and I will answer them all, but I now have patients waiting for me and you have to rest. Tonight, we're going to talk about everything, okay?"

Nothing was okay, because Rosinante actually had a lot of questions, but he decided that it was probably better to comply for the moment, so he nodded and tried to smile, but it was hard for him.

"Of course. Take care of your patients first. I'm not going to run away.”

The other muttered something approving but raised his eyebrows as if to question that statement before going to the door. The hand already on the handle, Law paused.

"And, uhm, maybe just stay in bed. You don't need to do anything, to touch anything or whatever, it's best to just stay in bed."

"What? Why?"

The other looked at him only briefly suspiciously over his shoulder.

"You're just back. I'd like to avoid losing yours right away because you accidentally light yourself up or fall down some hill." 

Did Rosinante imagine it or had his little grownup Law just smiled for a moment before he had closed the door behind him?

Now that he was gone, nothing remained but all the questions Rosinante had just been too stupid to ask. His head was still cramped with countless questions and they only seemed to add up.

Why was Law suddenly grown up? How had he become healthy? Where were they? How long had Rosinante been unconscious? What about his brother?

Oh..., more memories appeared in front of his inner eye. He had made it, back then, he had brought the Op-Op fruit to Law and then... and then there had been his brother, and Law in the box and... and...

Confused, he ripped open the simple shirt he was wearing, looking at his chest, which was littered with small, fine, and large, rough scars of the past years and struggles. Yet the wounds – or at least the scars – he had expected were missing. Nothing of his skin reminded that his brother had shot him.

It was impossible. Rosiante was sure that he...that he had died. Shaking his head, he let go of his shirt and rubbed through his face and hair. Another thing that was impossible, that just couldn't be.

How could he wait now for the man who was his little Law to come back and answer his questions? He would like to jump up and rush after the other.

But he remembered the look, those weeping grey eyes, the trembling lips, the plea not to put himself in danger, and he realized that he might be the one here who didn't understand anything and had thousands of questions, but he didn't know what price his little Law had to pay to be able to answer him. He had no idea what Law had gone through.

Slowly, he sank back to bed - couldn't even remember jumping up - and touched his lips with two fingers.

Law had kissed him, no small peck on the cheek, no accidental brushing each other’s lips while hugging each other. It had been a deliberate kiss, but Law was still a child, his little Law, wasn't he?

Uneasy, Rosinante looked at the closed door. Who was the other really?


	3. Chapter 2 - Grownup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> hope you're haveing a great weekend and this little chapter will make it just a tiny little bit better ;-)
> 
> Have fun and see you next week^^

Chapter 2 - Grownup

Rosinante jumped up when the door opened, but it was only the old lady – Paipai, if he remembered correctly – who came in, carrying a small tray.

"Hello, my dear," she greeted him, placing the tray on a pile of books on the desk, "I made you some tea. The doctor asked me to tell you that he will be here in a minute. He's in the examination room with our last patient right now.”

"Thank you," he replied, bowing slightly. He had no idea how many hours he had waited, it could have been only minutes or whole days, but only now did he realize that he was really thirsty. "Can you tell me what time it is, Mrs.... Paipai?"

"Of course, my dear, it's almost five o'clock. We are closing a little bit earlier today, but the doctor made you wait, didn't he? But no one could have guessed that you would wake up today."

He dropped on the chair in front of the desk – which was far too small for him, making him fall far too low – and looked at the old lady, who smiled back kindly.

"And... and you happen to know how long... I slept?"

She shook her head. "No, no. Doctor Trafalgar only brought you here yesterday, but according to him you were in a coma for a long time. That's why you shouldn't strain yourself too much. Oh, sorry, I really have to go now."

Rosinante nodded only as he took a sip.

"Of course, Mrs. Paipai, thank you for the tea," he muttered, "but it's almost cold..."

She smiled broadly as she was about to close the door. "Yes, exactly, these were the doctor's instructions. He said you like it the most this way."

So Rosinante stayed behind with his barely lukewarm tea; as if anyone liked such a thing.

For the last few hours, he had tried not to think too much and not to build up too many theories. There were a thousand plausible explanations, why he hadn't suffered wounds from the shots and survived, why Law was suddenly a grown man – a real doctor! – and certainly why he had kissed Rosinante, and none of the nonsense swirling around in Rosinante's head. Surely a plausible explanation existed, so he tried to ignore these conspiracies and waited for Law – grownup doctor Trafalgar Law – to give him a reasonable explanation.

So he sat on this way too small chair and drank his cold tea and waited for Law. Once again, his gaze slid over all the medical books, over the notepad - half its content scattered throughout the room - to the large bed he had occupied until a few minutes ago, to the open door, which led into a small kitchen and a living room just as small.

Maybe he should cook something for Law – not that he really knew how to cook, just enough to survive – if he thought about it that way, that was perhaps the reason why Ms. Paipai had just served him a cold tea.

The longer he thought about it, the more he wondered if his little, now grownup, Law really thought Rosinante couldn't even be trusted with a lukewarm tea. Did he really doubt his capability?

Oh, no, that was ridiculous.

_I'd like to avoid losing yours right away because you accidentally light yourself up or fall down some hill._

Yes, he actually did. Little, now grownup, Law really thought he was that incompetent, although he had been the one to obtain the Op-Op fruit and... Rosinante wondered again what Law had been through. How long had he been unconscious and how long had Law waited for him to wake up?

He frantically scanned the room, looking for something that could serve as a mirror, placed down the empty cup, barely noticing it rattled down at the table from the edge of a book. Then he saw the open window and he stumbled over the bed, grabbed the frame, and tried to keep it steady to see his blurry, transparent reflection.

For a moment his face looked at him, just as he had it in mind, only without make-up, then suddenly the frame gave way and he lost his balance, first banged his temple against the edge of the window and then slipped down the wall until he came to lie on the bed.

"Ouch," he grumbled, before hearing a quiet crack, and suddenly the corner of the window frame dashed down on his head before the window fell on the bed next to him. "OUCH!"

Perhaps Law was right.

As he sat up and rubbed his head, he heard approaching voices and finally the door opened again.

"... last time, go home. If anyone comes, I will be here, and we can do the paperwork tomorrow morning."

Little, grownup, Law came in, pulled the doctor's coat off while closing the door, threw it carelessly on the chair Rociante had sat on barely a minute ago, and pulled his shirt back into position. He was obviously tense, but as his gaze fell on Rosinante, his eyes widened a bit and the shadow of a smile soothed his strict jawline.

"What happened to you?" He asked, his voice rather toneless. "Did you try to escape and failed?"

"I wanted to see my reflection in the glass to see how much I’ve aged," he replied, slightly insulted.

"You know what mirrors are for?" Now the other one actually showed a little grin. "Wait, I'm just washing my hands, then I'll bring you one."

With these words he hurried into the small kitchen and turned the water on.

"Do you want to eat something?" Law called to overcome the water. "I still have some rice balls from yesterday."

Rosinante muttered something approving. The other behaved much calmer than he had expected, much calmer than he was. However, he suspected that Law did have little more time to prepare for the upcoming conversation.

From the bed, he watched the other. Law wore simple black jeans underneath his equally simple grey shirt, showing the lines of the tattoos at the sleeves. 

Then the other disappeared behind the door of a refrigerator, before returning with a small plate and a hand mirror, wherever he had gotten that from. He only briefly looked at Rosinante, then quickly turned his gaze away, showing that he was nervous after all. Law hurriedly placed the plate on the bed and handed Rosinante the mirror.

"I'll make us some tea," Law muttered, disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Could I have at least a lukewarm one this time?" Rosinante tried to joke, but the other replied nothing.

As he had already suspected, the mirror showed him nothing new. He looked exactly as he expected, seemed to have not aged a day. He reluctantly put the mirror away, intentionally with the front down.

Now that the other was present again, Rosinante found it difficult to ignore all his speculations and theories. So he took one of the Onigiris and began to eat. After the first bite, he paused. He had not been aware of how hungry he had been and how delicious the rice tasted. He felt as if he hadn't eaten anything for years.

So he ignored his confused thoughts and ate the little delicacies. He was about to reach for the third or fourth when Law came in with two mugs. One he placed in front of the bed on a stack of books, the other he took with him to the office chair and seemed to balance it easily on his crossed legs.

"So," Law said then, and finally looked at Rosinante, "you certainly have a lot of questions."

Rosinante rubbed a grain of rice off his fingers, then folded his hands and leaned forward. For a moment he tried to tame the confusion in his head but knew that he tried in vain.

"What year is it?" He then asked, not sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.

"1528," replied the other monotonously.

“What? Fifteen-hundred… Fifteen-hundred-twenty-eight?”

Law just nodded and took a deep sip of his tea without burning his tongue; either the tea was just lukewarm again or the other had a freaking superpower.

“That can't be. Yesterday it was 1511," Rosinante muttered, bent for his tea and also took a sip; it had to be a superpower.

"Actually, yesterday it was already 1528," remarked the other tonelessly, "but yesterday you were still unconscious."

Rosinante stared at the hot cup in his hands at which’s content he had just burned his tongue without even realizing the pain.

"You want to tell me that I... was in a coma for 17 years?"

"Not that long, but yes."

"And you... are now...?"

"Well, if I haven’t miscounted, I'll be 30 in four months.”

He stared at the other in dismay.

"But yesterday you were still 13!"

Now the other showed another half, but obviously fake, grin and stroked over his bearded chin. He had a beard!

"No, I was 29 yesterday, too."

"But not for me!" He put the mug down and rubbed his face. "What the hell happened? Yesterday you were a little boy, fatally ill, and now... and now..."

Helplessly, he gesticulated in the direction of the other.

"What happened?"

The other bit his lower lip, put his tea behind him on the table and leaned forward as well.

"What's the last thing you remember, Cora-san," he asked, looking directly at him. His voice was calm, as it was all the time, but his jaw quivered with tension.

Rosinante, on the other hand, had great difficulty pulling himself together, especially when he was thinking of his recent past, which seemed to have happened 13 years ago.

"We were on Minion," he finally said, meeting Law's gaze, "I got you the Op-Op fruit and then... my brother shot me."

For a moment, he thought of all the things he had said before that moment, all the lies he had revealed to Law, but then he decided that those things could wait until he had at least a rough overview of the situation.

Law, meanwhile, had risen and began pacing up and down with his arms crossed. For a few seconds there was nothing more to hear than the rustling of the leaves behind Rosinante's back and the clanking of Law's shoes.

"He shot at you," Law finally declared, without looking at Rosinante, interrupting his broodings, "but he didn't shoot you, even if the whole world thinks so."

"Excuse me?" He wanted to get up, but his legs trembled dangerously again so he had no choice but to stare at the back of the other, who finally stopped pacing.

"Yes, they all think you’re dead... your wounds were pretty bad after all. But... but you know... I have eaten the devil fruit and with its power..." Law took a deep breath, for a moment his voice had trembled, but as he continued to speak, he sounded as calm as before. "I was able to save you. You and me, but you were pretty badly injured and I hadn't been able to control this power and made mistakes, so... that's why I was able to heal you, but at the same time I accidentally put you in a coma, a _timeless room,_ and only a few days ago I finally managed to dissolve it. That's why you've finally woken up."

"Without having aged a day," Rosinante muttered, looking at his hands.

"Mhm," the other nodded only approvingly.

"And you are now almost thirty years old, a grown man?"

"Looks like that." Slowly, Law walked over to his chair and sat down.

"And the whole world thinks I'm dead? Even Sengoku?"

Again Law nodded and looked to the ground.

“I didn't know if I could save you at all, let alone if you would ever wake up again, so I didn’t tell anyone and let them believe you’re dead. After a few years, I almost believed it myself, instead of still hoping for the impossible."

Shadows darkened the other's face as he lowered his head and drove his hands through his hair. It almost frightened Rosinante to see how dark and empty those deep eyes became, and he wondered what his little, grownup Law must have gone through over the past 17 years.

Law folded his hands over his mouth and chin, still facing the ground.

"I'm sorry. All of this is my fault, I should have..."

"Oh no, no, Law." He slipped off the bed and took the other's hands while kneeling in front of him. “Don't apologize. You saved my life. You've watched over me all these years."

The young man, who yesterday had still been his little ward but was technically already older than him now, flinched under his touch, his jaw trembling, probably not able to look at Rosinante. It hurt, it hurt to see him like this, so full of sorrow and torment; things he should never have experienced, things Rosinante had wanted to protect him from.

"Look at me, Law," he whispered, putting a hand on this bearded chin. "Let me look at you. Let me see the man you have become."

He could hardly prevent his own voice from shaking and he felt the tears burning in the corners of his eyes, but at least Law looked up and faced him.

Rosinante swallowed under the intense gaze of these deep eyes, which now at least reflected some light again. Law seemed to hold his breath while Rosinante inspected his facial features, the straight nose, the strict eyebrows, the narrow lips, the bearded chin, the distinctive cheekbones, the golden earrings, the tousled, black hair. He could recognize him in that face, his little Law.

"You’ve really grown a lot," he said with a faint smile, feeling a tear making its way, "I just wish I'd been there and seen you grow up."

Now Law bit his lower lip and shook his head, again close to tears.

"You're here now," he said, snuffling, apparently fighting for composure, "that's more than I ever dared to hope. You're finally back."

By now, Law clutched Rosinante's hand and leaned so far forward that they were separated by only a few inches.

"I missed you so much, Cora-san. I was so alone in this world."

It hurt, so many years he had left him alone. It seemed to him that yesterday he had held the little, sick Law in his arms, but slowly he realized that Law had waited more than half his life for him to wake up again, to hear his voice again, see his smile again...

Taking deep breaths Rosinante tilted his head slightly.

"But I'm back now, Law, and I'll never leave you alone again." At last he was able to smile honestly, finally he could show Law the smile, which he had only been able to force before, and then he saw Laws' tears running unhindered. "I love you, little one."

"Me too," Law whispered, now bitterly crying, but at least with a broken smile, "I love you, too."

It was a moment like the first rays of sunshine that broke through the cloud-covered sky after a heavy storm; a small piece of happiness, a small piece of joy that supplanted grief and sorrow while he kneeled in front of his little, grownup Law, whose hands he still held while resting his other hand at Law’s neck, where he could feel the other's rapid pulse.

But suddenly Law leaned forward, crossing those few inches that were still between their faces, and again he tried to kiss Rosinante. This time, however, he dodged away.

"But Law, what...?" He interrupted himself when Law jumped up as if struck by lightning and pulled his hands out of Rosinante’s.

"I... I'm sorry," Law said, bringing several feet of distance between them. "I shouldn’t have done that. Of course, you didn't mean it like that, of course you just meant..."

“Law.”

It hurt. The shadows that had just been expelled from this strangely familiar face now seemed to fall even darker upon him as he dodged Rosinante’s gaze. He tried to understand what was going through Law's head, but even though he had known the boy almost as good as if he had been his own son, the man Rosinante was facing now was like a stranger to him.

"No, no, Cora-san. I'm sorry," the other apologized again, rubbing his hands hastily. "You know, I know that I am still the little boy from back then - from _yesterday_ – for you, but... but you have to understand..."

Law interrupted himself and took a deep breath.

"But you have to understand that after what happened, after that I had to grow up very quickly." He sounded calmer, more composed. The tears had already dried up and his dark face showed hardly any feeling, the mouth a strict line.

Of course, Rosinante could well imagine it. Little Law, who was still struggling with his illness, somehow had to try to bring the badly wounded Rosinante to safety, chased by his very brother, and at the same time trying to keep him alive. The time after that had certainly not been an easier one. On the run, fighting for his own life and that of Rosinante. The years after that, which he didn't even know more about than that he had left Law alone. Rosinante could only imagine what Law had to go through on his own.

Yes, all he had wanted for Law had been a few years in which he could have been a child and this man in front of him was the sad testimony that Law had been forced to grow up at the time when Rosinante had not been able to protect him any longer.

"I'm not a child anymore, Cora-san, haven’t been for a long time," the other continued with an almost frighteningly matter-of-fact voice, "and I know it's not fair to you because I was still a child for you just yesterday. But I've grown up, I've been a grown man for years, and my feelings aren't that of a child anymore either.”

He finally understood why Law had kissed him.

"I'm sorry, Cora-san, but I can't just love you with the love of a child anymore, I haven't been able to for a long time." Law sounded melancholy but otherwise very composed, quite different from himself.

It hurt, every word hurt him, showed him that he had let the other down, left alone. If he had been there, if Rosinante would have fired the first shot, then Law would not have had to grow up so quickly, then he could have stayed a child a little longer.

“But of course, I know you can't return my feelings, because for you I'm still a child. I'm sorry, I let myself be overwhelmed by my emotions."

"Stop apologizing." Unwieldly, Rosinante rose, unable to fight the tears as he approached the other. "Don't apologize for me not being there for you, for not protecting you."

He bent down and embraced him, embraced his little, grownup Law firmly.

“Don't apologize for growing up because I failed. I will always love you, little one. Give me some time to catch up, give me some time to get to know you again, but don't apologize, not to me, not for what you had to go through because of my failure."

"But Cora-san, I..."

"No, Law," he interrupted the other, "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you, that I didn't protect you. I'm sorry you had to grow up even though you were just a child and I'm sorry you think you have to apologize for your own feelings just because I wasn't there for you to teach you that you never need to be ashamed of your own feelings."

Carefully he stroked his former ward's hair.

"I'm sorry, my little Law. You were all alone in this world and had to grow up without me. I'm so sorry.”


	4. Chapter 3 - Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> so here we go, moving forward little by little ;-)
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and we see each other next week^^

Chapter 3 - Time

"More tea?"

"No thanks, I’m fine," he said, watching Law standing by the small stove and frying fish.

Meanwhile it had become dark outside and mosquitoes danced in front of the window, fortunately Law had been able to put the window back into its frame. It was difficult to keep a conversation going. Law avoided looking at him most of the time, and Rosinante was afraid of the answers that his questions would bring. But he knew he couldn't run away.

"So," he finally said, watching Law, as he sat on the kitchen counter, which was much more comfortable in height than any present chair, "I think it's time for us to work through the last 17 years."

The other nodded without looking up.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

Now Law glanced over at him with his eyebrow raised. "You'd have to clarify it a little bit more."

Rosinante had his elbows supported on his thighs and put his heavy head on his palms.

"How did you escape from Minion? How did you escape the birdcage?"

Law refocused on his fish.

“I didn't. I waited until your brother was gone, and then I... brought us to safety; that was roughly a week later, meanwhile I hid on Minion."

"Nobody discovered us? And you took care of yourself and me by yourself?"

The other replied nothing, just nodded, and turned his fish again, although it had to be good by now.

"No wonder you had to grow up so quickly."

Now Law shrugged. He was obviously uncomfortable with the subject and Rosinante didn't want to torment him any longer, so he decided to ask another question that hadn't let him go since he knew what had happened.

"And what about my brother?"

For a moment, Law paused in lifting the fish out of the pan.

"He became a Shichibukai and took in Dress Rosa," he finally replied.

"What?" Quiet horror filled him as he realized that he could have stopped Doflamingo if Rosinante had only not thrown away his shot back then.

"Yes, but don't worry, he's in Impel Down now, level six. During the war two years ago, he tried to break out, but we were able to prevent that."

_"We?"_ He asked as Law pulled a chair closer and sat down next to him at the counter, starting to eat.

"Well, not me, some from the alliance. I was not there at all, after all I had promised the Straw Hat to fight by his side."

Astonished, he looked down to the other.

"Okay, you've got to explain that a little bit more, Law. What war and what straw hat?"

The other looked up to him.

"In recent years, the situation has become increasingly tense. I don't have to tell you anything about the violence and the injustices in this world. The clear lines between the good Marines and the evil pirates got more and more blurred and well, at some point it escalated." Law shrugged and continued to eat. "Believe me, I had no intention of being part of the Great War, but it is as I say, the Straw Hat calls and we come."

Law nodded into the depths of the room, and Rosinante recognized a peacefully slumbering transponder snail with a straw hat on a small side table next to a sofa with a blanket and pillow.

"And how did this Great War end?"

"Well, what do you think?" Law muttered, but his voice sounded strangely hollow. "In the end we won."

"Against the Marines?"

"No, against the others. Against those who had benefited from the old-world order and did not want to have it changed. Some were Marines, others were pirates, and others were neither, just like on our side. In the end, we were stronger. We were victorious. We were the ones who could shape a new justice." For one moment, the other remained silent. "But sometimes I wonder if it was worth all the lives that died for it."

Law had stopped eating, staring at something that could not be found in this room and Rosinante knew this view, knew it far too well.

"What do you think is worth a life, Cora-san? What do you think is worth dying for?"

For a long time, he remained silent and looked at the empty pan in front of him, in which the last fat was still sizzling. Images of the people he had lost flared up in front of his inner eye. Their smiles, their deeds, their deaths. Then he thought of the people who had influenced his life and hopefully were still alive, thinking of the boy the man next to him had been until the previous day. Sadly, the truth caught up with him that he had not been able to save Law from a brutal upbringing after his terrible childhood. The other's words made it clear that Law had probably experienced worse things than Rosinante might could imagine.

"I think everyone can answer this question for only themselves," he replied honestly. “It is obvious for me that I would always protect you with my life, and I can only hope that the courageous comrades at your side have considered your motives important enough to die for this conviction."

"And what if it wasn't their conviction?"

"Then all that remains for us is the hope that they cared enough for the people, whose conviction it was, to offer their lives for it."

Slowly Law looked up to him, and again Rosinante realized that the other had suffered more in his life than he had ever wished for. Then Law turned to his food again.

"Wars are never easy," he finally said, appearing to bury the grief again, "there have been many losses on both sides, but we have entered a new era and I just hope that better people are in power now than before."

Rosinante did not respond but looked back at the little transponder snail. As he understood Law, he would probably still jump up today as soon as it would ring.

"And who is this Straw Hat?" He asked, hoping to ask for lighter memories of the other.

"He is also a pirate, now arguably the most powerful in the world. But he's a fucking fool and really stupid. Four years ago, he helped me defeat your brother, without him I probably wouldn't have made it." Quietly, Law laughed, actually seemed to forget the dark thoughts for a moment. "Oh, what do I say. I almost died. Doflamingo did tear my arm off after all, and he was trying to do much worse."

"What?! But... but you still have both?!"

Now Law looked at him with a slight eye roll.

"Op-Op fruit?" He replied, as if this statement would answer all questions, before continuing: "On my own I really wouldn't have had a chance against your brother, but our dear Mr. Straw Hat with his crew of maniacs... tze... you would like them."

Meanwhile, the other had started eating again.

"Do you like them?"

"Me? Don't be ridiculous. The captain is insane, I tell you, and his vice is just as awful, drinking like a bottomless barrel, and both are idiots who take on every stupid challenge, no matter how invincible the opponent is. And the navigator, dangerous as hell … uff... but worst of all is the cook!" Law pointed his chopsticks at Rosinante. "Feels like he doesn’t make anything but bread! As if a chef couldn't do anything else."

Rosinante laughed quietly as he recalled that little dislike they both shared and which Law apparently hadn't overcome by now. At least one little thing that hadn't changed despite all the time.

“What?”

He smiled at his little, grownup Law. "It seems to be a motley crew, and you have formed an alliance with them?"

Law just nodded.

"If I had known what was coming, I probably wouldn't have done it," he grumbled, picking a little too enthusiastically into the remnants of his fish.

"But," he continued, "I can't deny that they did great things, and I can't deny that I wouldn't live today if it hadn’t been for their help."

Now Law smiled a little again.

"I never thought I would befriend a bunch of idiots, but..."

"Friends? You made friends?"

Again Law rolled his eyes and got up to rinse his dishes.

"Don't be so surprised. I am..."

"Oh, my little Law actually has friends! I'm so happy!" He couldn't hold on to himself and hugged the other from behind. The relief overwhelmed him for a second. After all the terrible things that had probably happened during the last few years, he could not help but feel deep gratitude for this Straw Hat and its crew, who, despite everything, had decided against all odds to befriend Law, although he was not necessarily a sympathetic person, as Rosinante knew only too well.

"Could you stop calling me little? I'm technically older than you," the other grumbled between Rosinante's arms, confirming his quiet thoughts.

"That may be, but technically I'm still taller than you, so I can call you little," he replied with a broad grin, and decided not to let the other cloud his small delight.

"You and your giant genes," the other growled, freeing himself to continue working.

"Tell me more about them, Law," Rosinante inquisitively demanded, glad to see that the shadows had almost completely disappeared, glad to see Law showing emotion again, at least when he talked about this Straw Hat and his crew of maniacs. "Tell me more!"

"There's not much more to tell," said the other with a shrug.

"I was kind of forced to befriend the straw hats. Long story," he waved off when he saw Rosinante's questioning gaze, "and I disbanded my crew before the Great War because I didn't want them to fight."

"Why?" He hadn't known until now that Law himself had gathered people around him. It seemed almost less likely to him than that Law had generally made friends. Hopefully he would get to know them soon, these people who had willingly followed his little Law.

"Isn't that obvious?" Law swung the pan back and forth in one hand, scattering water drops and soap throughout the kitchenette. "I didn't want to lose someone again who was important to me."

Rosinante remained silent. The ease that had finally illuminated their conversation for a few minutes faded instantly. For a brief moment, Rosinante had forgotten that 17 long years had passed in which he had left Law alone. 17 years that may have passed him by without a trace, but that wasn't true for Law.

Law hadn't lost him, but he had lost him every day, every day he had not woken up. Law had to reckon every day that this was the day Rosinante would die for good, for whole 17 years, along with all the other losses he had suffered.

"And your friends agreed?"

“I didn't give them a choice. I can be very convincing if I want to," the other replied only hollow. “But it was better this way. I still have contact with them from time to time and they all lead a happy, satisfied life, just they deserved it."

Law took a wet rag and quickly wiped over the worksurfaces, the kitchen already looking clean enough to perform an operation. Rosinante, on the other hand, went back to his counter and settled on it again.

"But what about you, Law? Do you live a happy and satisfied life?"

The other paused his activity, then threw the rag into the sink and turned to Rosinante.

"What I'm going to tell you now, you won't like," he replied matter-of-factly, his arms crossed.

"All right."

For a moment, they looked at each other wordlessly, Rosinant unwilling to interrupt their eye contact. It was Law who eventually looked away.

" I spent the first 13 years after your _death_ trying to figure out how to take revenge. I should have used it to come up with a plan for how I could put your will into action, but even if I used it as an excuse, I just wanted to kill your brother for what he had done to you."

For a moment, Rosinante remained silent. He was longing for a cigarette, but he knew he could hardly ask the doctor in front of him for one.

“But you just said he is in Impel Down. So, you didn't kill him."

Law nodded.

"I didn't, like I said, damn Straw Hat. I myself was too weak to do what I had set out to do, but the Straw Hat is no one to kill if he can somehow avoid it, and he even left Doflamingo alive." Then he sighed. "After we defeated him, things happened fast and furious and we kind of slipped from one battle into the next. I didn't have time to realize what I wanted to do with my life, now that I had fulfilled my purpose. I hadn't thought about getting out alive of the whole thing anyway."

He took a deep breath and then shrugged his shoulders.

"But in the end, I survived, despite everything, and I realized that..." He bit his lower lip and then looked away. "... that I am only alive because you protected me back then and that I couldn't just throw this life away. Not after so many have died in our name - in my name. Not after you were... almost died... and of course I realized that if I gave up, there would be no chance that you would wake up again."

By the end, Law had spoken much faster than at the beginning, but now he seemed to have caught himself again.

"After the war, I decided to turn my back on this whole world. I was just tired of these fights, all this suffering, and all the hatred," he muttered, and now he looked at Rosinante again. "I don't want to live in constant fear for the people I care about."

Then he went back to his chair at the counter and sat next to Rosinante.

"And what did you do then? After the Great War?" Rosinante asked, looking down at him. He was only too good at understanding that. He, too, had once been tired of that life of betrayal, lies, and violence, and had wished for nothing more than a peaceful life in which he could close his eyes without the fear that he might not reopen them.

Law had supported his elbows on the counter and hid mouth and chin behind folded hands.

"I traveled," he muttered, looking into the empty room, "without a real goal. Then I stumbled across these islands here by chance and so one thing came to another. They needed a doctor and I... needed a task."

For a moment, the other was silent, then he tapped slightly against the bridge of his nose with one finger and Rosinante thought to recognize a small grin in these grey eyes.

"Ninnin, the daughter of the former doctor of this practice, is a good student, but she still has little practical experience and I thought I could teach her one thing or another. I thought maybe this simple life on an island with a regular daily routine, with a regular income, with a task to help people, is exactly what I need. Just as my parents lived." Now Law tilted his head slightly and looked at Rosinante from the corners of his eyes. "Some days ago, I decided to settle here, and as if it were a foul coincidence, I knew how to wake you up."

"It was a coincidence?"

"No, of course not," Law shook his head, as if Rosinante had asked something stupid. "I assume that I have blocked my own abilities, due to a life on the run, as a pirate and so on, and when I began to find my peace here, the blockade dissolved."

"Sounds logical," muttered Rosinante, who didn't really understand much about such things and could therefore only rely on Law's words.

"Whatever. During the years of the disturbances I had hidden you safely, afterwards I went to take you with me and now you are here. This is roughly the short version of the last 17 years."

It was still hard for him to believe all this, but at the same time he had the living proof sitting in front of him. He had no choice but to acknowledge the truth.

Law got up and stretched.

"So, I know you've got a lot of questions, but if I'm honest, I'm really tired. Can we continue to talk tomorrow?"

Now Rosinante's view fell to the small clock next to the stove, it was already in the middle of the night and as he had understood the other, Law would have to work the next morning.

"Of course, you must be exhausted."

The other gave him such a precious, crooked smile and walked past him, briefly swiping his hand over Rosinante's thigh.

"I have waited 17 years for this day, Cora-san, yes, I am exhausted, but finally you are back and finally this unbearable burden seems to have fallen from my shoulders. Now that you are back, I want nothing more than to be with you more and to sleep, to finally sleep."

"But then you should sleep in a decent bed," he replied quickly as the other prepared to simply sink down on the small sofa without even changing clothes.

"Don't be ridiculous," Law said only under a yawn, "I only have the bed next door, and you'd have to fold yourself four times to fit on the sofa here, so..."

"So you get the bed, you had a hard day at work!" He interrupted the other, strode towards him and grabbed him by the arm. "Years of tension have fallen from you today, which means you will need a lot of good sleep."

"But..."

"No buts!" He decided, pulling the other into the room where he had woken up, and throwing him on the bed. "I've slept for 17 years and after what you just told me, I won’t be able to fall asleep one way or another. So you sleep now, at least this one night I want to be the one who watches over you."

An unfamiliar tender smile slid over Law's face, illuminated these dark features as even the mention of the Straw Hat had not been able to, and he nodded.

"Well, as you wish." Law took off his jeans while lying down, threw them to the side without a care, and then pulled the blanket up all the way over his shirt. “But just so you know I don't have a problem sleeping now, so don't complain later.”

His eyes were already heavy with fatigue and Rosinante realized that the other had probably really shed a load of 17 years today and that his body was now reclaiming what he had had to endure the last few years.

Rosinante pushed two piles of books aside and sat down cross-legged on the floor next to the head of the bed.

“Don't worry, I won't. Get some rest, my little Law."

The other dug out one hand from under the blanket and placed it briefly on Rosinante's chest, as if to make sure the heart underneath was still beating, then Law looked at him.

"Cora-san, may I kiss you..., please?"

He knew that this question was dangerous, that he had to evade it through smart words, but the longing in these eyes made him weak. He had left Law alone all this time, had let this child experience a second time what it meant to lose loved ones, to lose the protection of this love. Rosinante could perceive this longing for love, this desire for the warmth of another person so much that his heart almost broke under it.

Carefully, he took the other's hand from his chest, leaned forward, and placed his lips on Law’s, only for a brief moment before leaning back.

"And now sleep, my little Law."

As if on command, the other's bright eyes closed and with a fine smile he seemed to fall asleep within seconds, Rosinante's hand firmly clasped, as if he were afraid to let him go for even a second.


	5. Chapter 4 - Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> here's the new chapter, I hope you'll enjoy it^^
> 
> Greetings!

Chapter 4 - Fear

A knocking at the door startled him. Confused, he looked around, found himself on the floor between countless books, next to him the empty bed. He must have fallen asleep.

Another knock from the door made him rose in a hurry, ruffling through his hair and looking around with his drowsy eyes. Where the hell was Law?

"Hello?" A soft voice called from the door. "I'm sorry to bother, Law, but it's already ten o’clock."

"Yeah, yeah." The addressee came from the adjoining room, a toothbrush in one hand and a towel in the other, which he rubbed through his wet hair. "I overslept. Come in."

Then Law looked over to Rosinante and he could see the grey eyes getting bigger for a moment before the other smiled, toothpaste spread all over his teeth.

"Good morning, Cora-san."

It sounded as gentle as the first rays of sunshine touching wet grass, as if Law had been waiting years for this moment to greet him like this.

Before Rosinante could even reply, the door opened and a young woman in a doctor's coat and loaded with several files came in. The one on top was opened and the woman followed some written lines with one finger.

" I just sent Mrs. Fumfum home and the next appointment would be actually only at half past eleven, but Mr. Sansan just came in. This splinter, which he did not want to get treated yesterday, swollen like hell, really disgusting, and the pus just drops out. I didn't dare to..." She fell silent as she looked up and noticed Rosinante, slowly her blue eyes widened, and she pushed her glasses up. "Oh, you woke up, but wow, you're huge!"

"Ninnin," Law sighed, waving his toothbrush through the air, "I've told you a thousand times that you cannot talk to patients like that. Not every thought you think you have to say out loud. Your patients have to trust you and not be frightened or offended, even if you don't have ill intend."

"Oh, she didn't insult me, Law. I am tall, not as tall as my brother maybe, but already taller than..."

"Not helpful," Law growled, thumping his elbow against Rosinante’s hip before turning to the woman again. "Ninnin, this is Corazon. Cora-san, Ninnin, the daughter of Doctor Tantan."

"The smart student." Rosinante bowed politely. "My pleasure."

"Oh yes, me too!" She did what could be seen as a mixture of curtsy and bowing. "I didn't even know you woke up, how lucky!"

"Yes," he laughed, rubbing the back of his head as he got up again, "lucky indeed, albeit a little odd."

"I can imagine," she nodded, pushing her glasses up again. "How long have you been in a coma? It's impressive that you're able to move so well already."

"Okay, you can chat later, Ninnin," Law recalled, "please give me another five minutes to get ready. Tell Mr. Sansan that the splinter has to get out now and prepare the surgery, a local anesthetic should be enough. I'll check everything right away and then we'll start."

"All right." She was already rushing out of the door.

Again, Law sighed and then continued to brush his teeth.

"Sorry, did she wake you up?" He muttered, barely understandable between the foam.

"Don’t worry," Rosinante replied with a faint smile, looking at the other. "You look even more exhausted than yesterday, haven't you slept well?" He already knew the answer to that question.

Law shrugged and disappeared into the room next door. Rosinante followed him and watched the other crawl into a tiny bathroom in a small door next to the couch, the ceiling was so low that even Law had to bend over to avoid bumping his head.

"It’s okay," he muttered hard to understand as he washed his mouth and face, "the wind was just loud and woke me up every now and then. But don't worry. Mrs. Paipai has certainly already made some coffee."

Law rubbed his face dry with the towel he had placed around his shoulders, then he yawned widely and tried to tame his hair.

"Sorry, that I'm on the go again. I promised you that we would continue to talk today. You certainly have some questions."

"Don't worry about me, Law. I..." He remained silent and looked at the other for a moment, who rushed to a small locker and pulled out a fresh doctor's coat. He seemed so grownup, so calm, and so self-confident. Although Rosinante had only awaken the day before, Law seemed absolutely unmoved. Obviously, he mastered the situation far better than Rosinante.

"If you want, you can lie down again, you were apparently so tired that you nodded off. Didn't want to wake you up," Law muttered, looking at him as he slipped into the coat. "If you want to have breakfast, Mrs. Paipai always brings fruits and rice balls. Everything is in the common room, down the aisle to the left, third door on the right."

Law walked back into the other room and Rosinante followed him.

“Unfortunately, I have quite some appointments today and there could be an emergency at any time, so I don't know if I'll take a lunch break, but if I have time I'll come by. Oh, by the way, clothes for you are in the left locker, they should fit." He rubbed his face as if trying to remember a shopping list. "And as far as your name is concerned, I think it's better for the beginning if we..."

"Law," Rosinante interrupted him after a moment, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I know you don't have much time, but can I ask you something?"

The other looked up to him and directly these grey eyes showed uncertainty, even distrust.

"Of course."

"How are you holding up?"

"What? I told you I..."

Rosinante raised one hand and silenced the other, then sat down on the big bed and looked up.

"You deal with the whole situations very calmly. I'm aware, of course, that you had more time than I had to prepare for all this here, but it's almost scary how natural the situation seems to be for you." He remained silent for a moment and looked at his own hands, rubbed an old scar on his left thumb. "If I'm honest, I'm worried about you. For me, the situation is difficult, almost unbelievable, and I don't think it's easier for you, so please tell me honestly; how are you really doing?"

Law only looked at him, opened and closed his mouth without even saying anything. Then he took a deep breath, shook his head, and drove his way through his hair, destroying the neat hairstyle he had fought for just a few seconds ago.

"It's weird," he huffed with a soft smile, looking over at Rosinante from the corners of his eyes, "despite all the time, I can't fool you, can I? You see through me right away."

Loudly, he sighed and approached Rosinante, looking down at him with deep wrinkles on his serious forehead and a pinched mouth.

"You know, I'm a doctor. It is my job to act serenely and to remain calm even in critical situations. For my patients it is important that I radiate rationality and security and I thought I had perfected it by now. But the truth is..." Law shook his head again and then crossed his arms as if he had to protect himself. "... none of this is natural to me, I am totally overwhelmed to be honest and I fear that I might say something wrong every time I open my mouth." 

Now he turned away, rubbed his arms, and began to walk up and down, as he had done the previous day.

"I'm scared, Cora-san, I knew what was going to happen, I knew how difficult it was going to be for you. 17 years is a long time and a lot has changed, but..." His voice trembled and he had turned his back towards Rosinante, just like the previous day, but this time he was sure Law simply couldn't bear to look at him, fearing what Rosinante might answer. "... but my greatest fear is that you will leave me as soon as you find out what I have become."

"Oh Law, my sweet, little..."

"No, stop it." But Law's voice was shaking. “That's why I'm pretending to have everything under control in front of patients and as if nothing could make me lose my poise.”

Sighing, Rosinante rose and placed one hand on the other's shoulder.

"But I'm not a patient, Law. No matter what the world and your colleagues may think, I'm not your patient and you never need to hide your true feelings from me, okay?"

The other nodded slightly, breathing heavily, but did not respond, while his shoulders trembled under Rosinante's grasp.

"And no matter what may come, Law, I will not leave you and I will never stop loving you."

"Tze," the other snorted. “Don't say that. That's exactly what I mean."

Then he brushed Rosinante's hand off and turned around; tears reflected in those deep eyes, but he seemed almost furious.

"You don't love me, Cora-san, you love the sweet, little Law from 17 years ago, like a little brother, maybe even like your own son, but I'm not that boy anymore and I..."

"I know," he interrupted him, slightly tilting his head. "Believe me, I had a long night watching you fight for your sleep, many hours to realize that you are certainly no longer the little boy of that time."

Law wanted to say something, but Rosinante didn't let him.

“I'm well aware that you're no longer the sweet, little Law of that time, and it pains me that I wasn't there to protect you. I don't know what you've been going through over the last few years and of course I don't know what things you've done; I'm sure you're not proud of some of them."

Now Law looked away, but Rosinante did not avoid the inevitable.

"Maybe you even despise things you've done, maybe you even despise yourself. But none of this changes my feelings for you. They may not be what you want from me, and at the same time you may think that you do not deserve them, that they are not meant or you. But I want to tell you in plain words that I don't care what you’ve done, what deeds you have committed and what you think you have become. None of this changes the fact that I still love you so much and don't think of ever leaving you as long as you want me with you."

Law, meanwhile, looked downto the ground and silent tears ran down his face.

"It's true that I don't know who you are, Law, and I will need time to get to know you anew, but I see you, here and now. I see you."

For a few seconds, perhaps even minutes, the room was filled with silence except for the quietly crying Law, standing in front of him with trembling shoulders as his tears dripped to the ground.

Rosinante did not dare to touch him, afraid Law would shy away again, a terrible feeling that he could hardly bear. He didn't want Law to cry, he wanted this young man - who was probably no longer his sweet, little Law, but still carried this child within him, hidden under the rationality of an experienced doctor, under the cold of a nefarious pirate - he wanted Law to smile, to be happy, and to understand what it meant to be loved unconditionally without living in constant fear of losing this love.

He didn't want Law to hate himself or, worse, to believe Rosinante hated him. All Rosinante really wanted was that Law was happy, could live a happy life, and even if he couldn't change the past, couldn't change that he hadn’t been able to give Law the life the other deserved, he would do anything to settle that debt now that he could share that life again.

At one point, Law rubbed the sleeve of his doctor's coat through his face and finally looked up, the faint shadow of a weak smile on his trembling lips.

"How can you say something like that so easily?" He asked. "How can you be so sure that you can still stand me when you find out what I have become, that you see me, even though you hardly know me?"

"But Law, I know exactly how you feel." And now it was Rosinante who could only barely hold back tears while smiling at the other and finally saying what he had never wanted to say. "I know exactly what it's like to do things you will despise yourself for. I know what it's like to have to deny yourself and to lose yourself in the belief that it’s the right thing to do."

For a moment he hesitated, felt how it was now difficult for him to smile.

“And I know the fear that this one person important to me would turn away from me if he figured out who I really am, what I really am, that I'm one of those people he hates so much.”

He could see Law's eyes grow big and pure disbelief glided over the strangely familiar traits.

"But Cora-san..." he whispered.

“I'm sorry I lied to you, Law, all the time we were together, from the very beginning, but I really didn't want you to hate me.”

"But I never hated you!" Suddenly it was Law who grabbed him, almost punching his head into Rosinante's stomach pit, and wrapped his arms around Rosinante. "How can you believe for even a second that I would hate you. I... I knew you were a Marine. You're such a bad liar, of course I knew."

Law looked up to him, biting his lip like a cocky child.

"But even though I knew what a bad liar you are... I believed you that Doflamingo wouldn't shoot."

Slowly, he put a hand on Law's head, felt the still moist soft hair that the other usually kept hidden under a hat, and felt an incredible gratitude spread through him. He had feared it back then, but had tried not to throw Law into another conflict of conscience, and when he had told the truth, Law had been unable to answer him, locked in a box and made silent by the power of Rosinante’s devil power.

Perhaps Rosinante had even consciously hoped for such a moment, for a way to ease his conscience without seeing how the glow of these deep eyes would turn into hatred.

"Me too, Law, me too." He bent down so they were on a par. “But neither his weapon nor his anger was as scary as the idea that you would hate me. So please believe me, I can understand what you're going through. I see you."

Then he hugged the other, pressed him against his chest, allowing himself to cry quietly again, so that the other could not see it. He didn't want Law to see his tears, he just wanted him to see his smile, he should be happy, joyful.

"I want you to stay with me," Law whispered against his chest. “I just want to be happy for a few more months, like back then, without you having to hide from your brother and me going to die. I want to spend time with you, get to know you again, tell you everything that happened and listen to all those things that you couldn't tell me back then, but..."

"Then we'll do just that," he said, leaning back to look at Law. "We will take all the time in the world, a few months of simple luck, without pirates or Marines, without life-threatening diseases or devil fruits. Just you and me, would that make you happy?"

He could see that Law was already fighting back tears, but this time they were tears of joy and Rosinante couldn't prevent a smile when the other nodded heavily, instead of saying something, his lips pressed tightly, now looking almost like the child he had left behind all those years ago, just a few days ago.

"Yes, that's all I've wanted for 17 years."

An opportunity. It was as if Law had given him a small chance to pay off some of his guilt, to shed some of the burden he would carry forever on his shoulders for not being able to protect Law back then, for leaving him alone, and if Rosinante was quite honest, that idea sounded like a life that he would like.

If he was honest, he had imagined life in a very similar way back then, of course with a young Law who would study medicine and not already practice it, but a peaceful island somewhere where it was beautiful, far from intrigues, wars, and betrayal. A life like his parents had wanted to live, yes, that really sounded like happiness.

Of course, he knew that he could not run away from his duties forever. He would stand up for his brother's crimes and visit Sengoku, perhaps resume his work as a soldier, but... but he had been dead for 17 years, and it would make little difference to the world whether he would walk among the living again a month sooner or later.

Watching Law's warm smile, he decided that after all these years he had earned a few months of simple happiness, that Law had earned a few months of limitless happiness.

Suddenly the door opened, and Mrs. Paipai glanced into the room.

"I'm really sorry to bother, Doctor Trafalgar, but..."

"Yes, I'm coming, I'm coming."

Law sighingly freed himself from Rosinante’s embrace and looked at him for a long moment, still this wonderful smile on his lips, which Rosinante had missed so much, a smile full of life, love, and joy.

"See you later, Cora-san." With that he hurried after Paipai, leaving Rosinante with this unfamiliar feeling of happiness.

But hardly that the door closed, his smile faded. He was certain, that Law was still hiding something from him, but he would be patient, and if Law felt safe, he would tell him the truth.

Perhaps he would then tell Rosinante why his devil powers no longer worked.


	6. Chapter 5 - Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> so after a long day of practice exam, working, and a little bit of fresh air I finally found the time to upload this new chapter ;-) before going grocery shopping, because that needs to be done too...  
> I hope you will enjoy this new chapter and wish you all a pleasent weekend ;-)
> 
> See you next week!

Chapter 5 - Breakfast

"Oh God, they're delicious!"

After a nerve-wracking morning, Rosinante had earned his breakfast. He had not expected Law to talk about his fears so easily due to a simple question, but it only showed how desperately Law yearned to finally open up to somebody.

It was true, although Rosinante hardly knew the adult Law, he had the strange feeling that Law had not changed as much as Law himself probably feared. Of course he had grown - beard and tattoos did the rest - and of course he had changed, but the way he still turned his gaze away when he wanted to hide something, the way he turned away when he couldn't bear to be seen, but especially the way he looked at Rosinante, quite blatantly, as if Law could see into the depths of his soul, the way he sometimes smiled and the way he spoke matter-of-factly when emotions became too dangerous for him.

All of this was still there, perhaps slightly modified, altered, enhanced, or lessened, but it was still there, Law was still Law.

But it was also true that Rosinante had spent a restless, long night thinking about all of this. He had quickly realized that Law had not been able to fall asleep as easily as he had previously claimed, but to Rosinante's quiet horror, he had not been able to silence the quiet and loud noises of the night.

At first, he had panicked, had wanted to wake Law, but then he had noticed that Law had actually fallen asleep and decided against it. It had confused him - he was still very concerned - but if he was honest, he had already experienced stranger things during the last few hours, so he had decided to let Law sleep and tackle one problem at a time.

So he had spent the night watching Law; he had woken up several times, had turned from left to right, sighed quietly in the short phases of peaceful sleep. Those had been the moments when Rosinante had realized that things hadn't really changed in 17 years. Even then, he had liked to watch Law slumber peacefully, even then he had been worried every time Law had bent over in pain or nightmares, and even then Rosinante had wished for him nothing more than that Law would sleep peacefully.

Like back then, when Law had been haunted by his dreams as a child, Rosinante had offered his hand, and like at that time, Law had grabbed it without even waking up and had slept more peacefully afterwards. At one point, Rosinante had fallen asleep, his hand still clasped by Law.

Now he was sitting here after frantically trying to wash himself in the tiny shower - and only falling down about five times before he had decided to just stay on his knees – and having a brief nostalgic moment with little tears over the pink-hearted shirt, he had decided that a few rice balls from last night weren't enough to satisfy his hunger, so he had followed Law's directions and ended up in a small lounge room with aromatic coffee and a king's breakfast.

The chairs here were also tiny, so he had settled on the back of a small two-seater, the cup of tasty – hot! – coffee on a bookshelf to his right and in his hand a plate with all kinds of delicacies.

Repeatedly his gaze glided over to the table by the window. There, almost innocently, lay a folded newspaper. Rolling his eyes, he focused on his coffee again. On the one hand, he was curious about what had happened in the world, what he had really missed in the last 17 years, but it worried him even more.

So far, the missed 17 years were little more for him than a strange dream in which Law had grown up and his brother was defeated. So far, the only thing he had missed was Law's youth. So far, Law's dark voice and worry lines were the only thing that proved to him that he had missed 17 years. He was afraid that this newspaper would prove to him that it really wasn't a dream. If he reached for it and read the date, the last doubts – the last hope – would be refuted by facts.

Sighing, Rosinante placed the empty plate next to him on the backrest. No, he wouldn't let this fear define him, wouldn't delay the inevitable just because it was easier, because this way he could believe for a few minutes, hours, days longer an insane hope that he had not failed, had not left Law not alone, and had not let his brother get away.

No, he had known for hours that he was responsible for all this because he had not pushed the trigger, because he had not been able to do what he had been told to do. All Law had to go through during the last few years, what the world had to endure because of Doflamingo, all this was his fault and his responsibility and he would not evade it just because he was too cowardly to look at a newspaper.

He emptied his cup – and burned his tongue; why was the coffee so damn hot?! – and pushed himself off the backrest. Suspiciously, he stepped towards the table, and was already able to identify the figures that confirmed the inevitable.

1528

Suddenly the door behind him opened.

"Yes, Ninnin, I know, I know, and... there you are."

He turned around. Law stood in the door frame in his doctor's coat and looked quite as grownup and professional as one would want a doctor to look like. What more evidence did Rosinante actually want?

"Law," he replied with a smile, ignoring such gloomy thoughts. He had known what was going to happen, so there was no reason to be overwhelmed by the feeling of helplessness. "You were looking for me?"

The other shrugged and closed the door behind him.

"Not really. I already suspected that you were here and since we have a moment off, I wanted to check on you."

"Are you worried about me?" Rosinante thought it was an unfounded joke as he fetched plate and cup and brought them to the sink. Law's serious facial expression, however, revealed that he had hit the mark. Law did worry about him.

Again, the other shrugged and came to Rosinante to wash his hands at the sink.

"Mrs. Paipai says I should take a few days off," Law muttered without looking up. “She thinks it's good for me because you've finally woken up. I think she's aware that you're not just some patient. She has an eye for something like this and is generally very ...”

"Would you want to do that?" Rosinante asked as Law threatened to stray off topic and dried his cup.

"I don't know," Law admitted, before sighing and rubbing his face and then walking through the room to a chair and settling down. “She's right that I'm not as focused as I should. I mean, I know it's ridiculous, but I imagine thousands of funny scenarios that could happen to you. How am I supposed to focus on paperwork?"

Of course, it was ridiculous for Law to worry about him, but even if Rosinante really wanted to assure him that nothing bad would happen to him, he knew very well that rational words could not soothe irrational fears.

He wanted to tell Law that children shouldn't worry about adults, because he probably would have told him that back then, but Law was no longer a child and for 17 years he had been worried about Rosinante, maybe even longer, and Law was right; he had trusted Rosinante when he had told him that nothing would happen to him, that his brother would not shoot despite all his anger, that Law had nothing to worry about and only had to stay in the box for a few minutes.

No wonder Law was plagued by such fears. Actually, much more astonishing was that Law was so willing to talk about it. But Rosinante suspected that the reason was just as simple. Back then Law had at some point opened up to him, had trusted him at some point, and despite everything that had happened, despite everything that Law had become, this little familiarity seemed to have lasted within his subconscious and still persisted even now.

"But on the other side," Law continued, crossing his legs, and reaching for a rice ball, obviously ignorant of Rosinante's inner emotional chaos, "I also have a responsibility here. Also..." Now Law interrupted himself and looked out the window.

"Also what?" Rosinante asked, leaning against the wall next to the window to keep an eye on Law. He was yearning for a cigarette again, but how could he ask Law for one.

Smiling quietly, Law shook his head.

"You're going to think I’m crazy, even more than already."

"I won't."

The other looked at him briefly and then poured himself some coffee.

“It's pretty contradictory. Although I've been waiting for this for 17 years, waiting for you to come back, hear your voice, see you smile, it's... difficult too." He drank a little sip. "On one hand, I want to spend as much time as possible with you, I want to laugh with you, and I want to hear all your stories. I want it to be the same as it used to be. But on the other hand, I'm afraid of the questions you're going to ask and that it won't be the way it used to be.”

"It's not going to be like it used to be," Rosinante said, pushing himself off the wall. In front of Law, he squatted on the other chair, which was simply far too small and uncomfortable, but at least they were now almost on par when he leaned forward. “But that doesn't mean it has to be something bad. You're not the little boy anymore and the world has changed and I'm going to change, that's the course of things.”

He smiled at the other and could see that these serious corners of Law’s mouth were also twitching.

"I also want to spend time with you, hear your stories, and laugh with you, but I want you to feel good while doing so. You don't have to tell me anything you'd rather not think about, you don't have to reveal anything you don't feel confident about just yet, and if you worry that too much time together at once is too threatening, then we don't have to do that. We have time, Law, as long as you need, as long as you want. Let's start with small steps, a coffee break, dinner, and you can interrupt at any time if it gets too much for you."

For a long time, Law just looked at him, and Rosinante wondered if he had gone too far, whether he had misinterpreted Law's words and gaze.

"Have you always been so incredibly understanding?" Law finally muttered, slightly tilting his head. "Actually, I should be the one to say such things to you. Actually, I should be the one to take care of you. You are the one who was thrown into this time completely unprepared, and yet you are still the more grownup of the two of us."

Law rubbed his face and shook his head again.

“Although I'm now older than you are, you're still the adult and I'm the stupid kid you're taking into consideration.”

"Oh, that's not true," Rosinante replied. "You know, of course it hurts that I missed 17 years, missed seeing you grow up, missed what happened in this world and couldn't stop what my brother did, but my suffering is barely a day old, what is that compared to your years of pain? I am not the more grownup of the two of us, Law, I am only the one who needs to heal less from all the wounds, all the suffering, and that is why I can take care of you. Because my pain is endurable, but I can hardly bear to see you suffer like this."

Now the other looked up to him, an almost surprised expression on this adult face.

"I don't know what to answer," Law finally muttered, without interrupting their eye contact for once. "You always say something like that so directly, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. You make it really easy to talk to you, I completely forgot that, completely forgot how easy it is to talk to you."

And then he smiled; a smile for which Rosinante would give everything, would do anything. He seemed truly happy.

"I'm happy about that," Rosinante said, smiling as well. "I am glad that you find it easy to talk to me. You know you can always be honest with me and I promise you that I will never lie to you again."

"That sounds good." Law took a second onigiri.

For a brief moment, the world seemed to be getting a little bit better. Rosinante felt that gradually all things were falling into place. After the deep confusion and emotional moments of the previous day, they both seemed to be looking forward today.

He was pleased – unspeakably happy – to hear from Law what he wanted for his future and that he wanted Rosinante to be a part of it, and now he felt that things might be starting to normalize. Of course, they would not become the same overnight as they had been for Rosinante until a few days ago, of course there was still a lot of things unsaid and unquestioned in the room. But if they were able to deal openly with each other, to trust each other, if this time Rosinante could really dare to be honest with Law... the idea alone made him incredibly happy, and yet...

"What's going on, Cora-san?"

Surprised, he looked up. Law just licked a grain of rice from his fingers and looked at him from big eyes.

"You've got that look again," Law said, leaning over the table and grabbing a cup and coffee pot, "that look when you think about something you couldn't talk to me about back then."

Oh, and he thought he was the one who knew the other well. But it seemed Law knew him all too well, too. It was true that the big eyes of young children saw much more than adults would like to believe, and Law had always been a good observer.

Well, he had pushed himself quite nicely into the corner. Rosinante had been so pleased that Law was opening up to him, had been so relieved that Law had not turned him down, even though he knew Rosinante was a soldier, he had become euphoric about all this, and had completely forgotten that he had been the one who had never been honest, who had lied first to his brother and then to Law. Of course, Law had noticed it back then, he had always been incredibly smart, much smarter than Rosinante himself.

Rosinante had tried to believe that he had done it to protect Law, to save a bit of his childish naivety, but also to not expose himself to his hatred.

But Law was no longer a child, had given up all this childish naivety, but most importantly, he did not hate Rosinante.

So, the whole situation was plainly simple, if he wanted to show Law that he could open up to Rosinante, no matter what atrocities and abysses he hid, Rosinante would have to do the same. If he really wanted to respect the adult Law and did not want to continue to see the boy from back then, then he could not continue to protect Law unquestioned and leave things out. He had to let Law decide for himself how much he wanted to hear or not.

"And? What conclusion did you come to?" Law muttered into his cup, not letting him out of sight for a second, while Rosinante wracked his mind. Things shouldn't be so complicated; he shouldn't have to brood for hours.

"Oh, I think I've dragged myself into a mess," he finally said, looking at the other, who still had this incredibly neutral expression on his face, which Rosinante almost envied. "Yes, it's true, I promised not to ask anything you don't want to answer. Nevertheless, there is something I need an answer to, and you may be the only one who can give it to me. Not that I could ask anyone else," he added quietly.

"Just ask," Law replied, placing his cup on the table. "I knew you'd have a lot of questions and to be honest, so far you've asked a lot less than I expected."

It was true, he had an unbelievable number of questions and he was almost afraid of the answers, but this alone would never have been enough, but he had held back to not make it even more difficult for the little Law when the whole situation was already difficult.

But before him sat not the thirteen-year-old boy he had wanted to protect from the cruelty of the world, but the adult Law, who had probably experienced more than Rosinante had wanted him to, perhaps even more than he had experienced himself.

"Last night," he finally said, looking at his hand, "you slept quite restlessly, and I wanted to make the world a little quieter for you, but I couldn't."

Now he looked at the other again, who did not dodge his gaze.

"Do you know anything about it? Why I can't use my devil powers?"

He was expecting something different. He had expected Law to become pale, perhaps to lower his gaze, but the other simply looked at him, a slight resignation in those deep eyes. Then Law sighed and poured himself some more coffee, looking even older than he already was.

"I've suspected that," he muttered, and continued to hold Rosinante’s gaze with ease, "I think you've lost your devil power, Cora-san. I'm sorry.”

"Lost?" He repeated in doubt. "I don't think that's possible. I've never heard of anything like this."

Now Law looked at his cup.

"While I tried to save you, your heart stopped beating several times, sometimes longer than just a few seconds. Of course I didn't know, but I hadn't ruled out the possibility. I think you probably even _died_ and apparently that was enough to lose your power. I am sorry. That's my fault.”

Oh.

If Rosinante was honest, he didn't know much about the devil fruits and their powers, little more than what was commonly known, and he knew even less about medical stuff, had no idea how dead one had to be to lose one’s devil powers, but Law's words made sense.

"So that means I don't have any devil powers anymore?" he muttered softly, looking at his hands.

"I'm sorry," Law repeated.

"Don’t be," he said, looking up. "I’m alive, you don't need to apologize."

Suddenly an odd thought crossed his mind.

"Does that mean I can swim in the sea again?"

Now Law looked at him in amazement, probably rather bewildered.

"Wha... Probably, I guess so. Why?"

The possibilities seemed limitless. Not that he had ever been someone who would have swum a lot, and yet, sometimes one only missed certain things when it became impossible to do them anymore.

Law laughed quietly into his coffee.

“What?”

"Oh nothing." Shaking his head, Law waved off, still with this grin on his lips.

"No, tell me," he urged.

Then the other looked at him warmly smiling and Rosinante felt happiness fill him. Who needed devil powers if Law could smile at him so happily, if he could make Law so happy?

"This island here has a beautiful beach. If I have a day off, we should..."

He interrupted when the door opened, and Mrs. Paipai came in.

"Sorry for the disturbance, but Mr. and Mr. Tautau just came in."

"Oh, of course." Law rose while Mrs. Paipai closed the door again.

"Maybe she's right," Law said now, looking at him with a slight smile, "maybe I should take time off so that our conversations don't get interrupted all the time."

This time, Rosinante waved off.

"No, you have an important job and we have time." He also rose and followed Law out the door, ducking through the low door frame. "However, I have spent enough of hours brooding about life. Law, is there anything meaningful I can do instead of just waiting for you to get off work?"

Law shook his head as they walked down the hallway.

"I can't think of anything, besides, I think you should rest a little bit, after all..."

"Oh nonsense," he interrupted the other as they reached the end of the hallway and he could take a look into the entrance area of the practice for the first time, "I'm fine, thanks to you, and I think it's better for both of us if I don't sit around for hours and wait for you. You can probably concentrate better if you know I’m not wracking my mind because of this situation."

He looked at Law, but from the corners of his eyes he inspected the bright room, the large entrance door, the white counter with neatly sorted stacks of paper, the large windows with the bright curtains and a multitude of doors that probably led to the various practice rooms.

Mrs. Paipai just came back from one of these rooms.

"No, Cora-san, that's really not necessary. You don't need..."

"You could go grocery shopping," the old lady interrupted Law and gave him a telling look. "Doctor Trafalgar may be an excellent doctor, but simple things like grocery shopping or washing clothes seem to overwhelm him. I suspect that he has hardly anything in the fridge and feds on nothing but coffee and fish. Extremely unhealthy, especially for a doctor."

"Mrs. Paipai," Law tried to interrupt her, but the old lady did not let herself be put off.

“You're young and you seem to be fine. You should get some fresh air and move your muscles. In addition, today is the market." Then she turned to Law. “I know you're worried, but you can't lock your friend in forever. If you want to do something good for him and yourself, take a few days off."

With these words, she hushed back into one of the adjoining rooms.

Law sighed slightly.

"She clearly seems to set the tone here," Rosinante laughed, and Law just nodded in agreement.

“But she's right, as always. I'm sorry, Cora-san, it's not as easy as I thought.” Law briefly massaged his neck and then looked at him. "So, if you really want to do something, you would help me a lot if you went shopping; the refrigerator is really almost empty. On the small table next to the sofa is money. You just have to follow the street; it will take you to the village’s center."

"Then I will do just that."

The other looked away briefly, but then nodded and walked over to the same room where Mrs. Paipai had disappeared into a few seconds ago.

"Okay, see you tonight, Cora-san."

"See you later, Law."


	7. Chapter 6 - Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> here comes the next chapter. I hope you will like and enjoy it^^
> 
> Have a great weekend ;-)

Chapter 6 - Water

The market was huge!

It may have been just Rosinante’s imagination, but after the solitary coldness on Minion and the emptiness in Law's room, countless people were on the road here, crowding together, talking to another and over another. Children laughed, merchants advertised their wares, and shoppers haggled, and Rosinante in the middle of them.

Here and now, he found it hard to believe that the world should have changed. This market worked as any he knew, people hardly spoke differently, and although new history seemed to be written, everyday life seemed to have hardly changed for the ordinary citizen.

Some glances fell on him as he walked from stand to stand, comparing prices, and pondering what they might actually need. But he was used to such glances, by his height alone he stood out and between the familiar faces of the neighbors one noticed a stranger even faster. But the people were friendly to him and his much bigger problem was the significantly increased prices, which seem to be completely normal for the people here.

"Oranges didn't use to cost that much, Numnum," complained an old lady next to him, and Rosinante could only silently agree with her.

"They are the same price as every week, Mrs. Ralral, and every week you complain."

He listened to their banter for a moment before the trader turned to him and sold him far too expensive vegetables.

After a while Rosinante had everything he was looking for, and for a moment he was just standing in the middle of the crowd, realizing what had happened and what a miracle it was that he hadn't died. The warm sun shone down on him and finally he could accept the truth as it was.

Unfortunately, it didn't shock him nearly as much as he would have expected that his brother had actually shot at him, but it was a miracle that he had survived. Law had saved him, a miracle he had to wait 17 years for.

Could it really be that after all that they had gone through, what had happened, that the struggles, the wars, the lies, the secrecy, the betrayal, the hatred, the suffering, that all this was over?

At some point, Rosinante would have to return to that world, at least for a while, but until then he wanted to fulfill Law's – and his own – wish and simply enjoy this gifted peace for a little while.

Suddenly, his gaze fell on the old lady from the vegetable stand, who was packed with several bags and baskets, leaving the market; the burden seemed too much for her, as she paused every few steps to place her basket on the ground, before picking it up again, and since Rosinante had nothing more to do that day than to wait for Law, he decided to share his little luck a bit.

"Excuse me," he hollered after her, rushing towards her, "may I carry some of your groceries?"

"Oh, young man, that would be too kind." She smiled at him. "But look at you, you're just as packed as I am."

"Oh, a bag more or less doesn't matter."

"Well, if you insist."

She handed him a basket and a bag, and together they continued their journey, leaving the market and the masses behind.

"I'm glad you're doing better. My husband said that the young Doctor had finally showed a smile this morning."

"You... You know who I am?" Rosinante asked, bewildered, as they strolled along the small town's streets in a leisurely stride. By now, the whisper of a gentle sea reached them.

"Oh, of course. You know not a lot of things happen on these islands, so when someone like the young Doctor settles down here... well, words travel fast."

_“Someone like,”_ he asked, while the upcoming houses grew further apart from each other and left room for opulent gardens. It seemed to be a prosperous village. One he might have attacked earlier under the leadership of his brother, due to the low level of security. No one here seemed to expect attacks or pirates, he saw nothing that would protect the port from any kinds of raids.

She nodded swiftly.

"Oh, we are a quiet village, but we also get the newspaper. Of course, we all know who the young Doctor is. Surgeon of death or so they called him back in the days. But before the war life was different. Do you know that my husband was a Marine? Hard times, and back then..."

She kept talking, some things interesting other less, but it was quite obvious that the islanders welcomed both Law and him. This may also be due to the fact that doctors in the area were a rarity, as Rosinante learned – apparently most had been hired by a windy ruler several years ago and few had returned – so that, besides the deceased doctor and her daughter, Law was the only doctor to whom the inhabitants of the surrounding islands could turn to.

For this reason, people were probably more grateful that a former pirate with special skills had settled down near them instead of asking questions about his background. Everyone seemed to know who Rosinante was, or at least that he was the patient Law had brought here a few days ago.

The old lady kept talking and Rosinante listened attentively, asking very little, while regarding the small town surrounding him, noting clean streets with carefully decorated flower buckets, noted elegant houses as well as snobbish ones, noted neat simplicity and braggy pomp.

Suddenly Rosinante stopped. They had walked along a quiet country road, to the left small and larger houses, surrounded by colorful gardens, in the background the treetops of a small forest. To the right was a small wall, just high enough to hide the gushing waves of the ocean, but at the end of the road stood a single house and behind it lay the wide sea.

"Oh, that belonged to the Lesles," the old woman continued, "a great house, isn’t it? But like many, the Lesles moved away after the war, it has been empty for almost a year now. Such a shame."

_That's it!_

He didn't know where, but in his memories - no, in his daydreams of the _after -_ it had been exactly this house. _, d,_ ,

"Oh, I know," the woman said suddenly enthusiastically, "ask Mr. Tuntun for the keys. The Lesles will not come back and they asked Mr. Tuntun to take care of it, but he misses the time this house would need. If I am not mistaken the young Mr. Doctor lives in the standby rooms of the practice so far, but this is far too narrow for two people in the long run. If you want to settle down here, you need a true home, not some lunchroom."

"Excuse me?" Surprised, he looked down at her, but she smiled kindly and maybe somewhat knowing.

"Oh, my dear boy. Why do you think I asked for your help? I wanted to show you the house."

"What?" Skeptical, he shook his head slightly. Hadn’t he offered her his help and she had initially refused?

“You may not know, but Nannan Paipai is my sister and she asked me weeks ago to find a suitable home for the young Doctor. She said he could hardly cope alone. At first I wanted to house him by a loving family, but as it seems a new home would be more suitable, because you probably intend to stay longer, so voila."

"What are you? A fairy godmother?" Rosinante laughed as they continued their way to a small cottage just a few feet away, which, despite its small size, impressed by its lush garden and fine exterior.

The old lady also laughed and took her bag and basket from Rosinante.

"But no, my dear. It also has a very selfish reason. We want you to feel at home here. It is very fortunate for us that the young Doctor has settled down here, and you seem to be a very kind young man one would like to have in the neighborhood." Then she pointed to an old but well-preserved house next to the vacant one. “Mr. Tuntun lives there, I've told him that you might come. So if you have a moment to spare, take a look."

She winked at him and said goodbye. Bewildered he watched her scurrying over a small path towards her the front door of the small cottage, opening the apparently unlocked door, and disappearing in the depths of the house, way more agile that he would have expected. For another moment he regarded the cottage with its flower buckets and its path of yellow stones, before shaking his head and continuing his way.

Despite all the logic, Rosinante followed the insane proposal.

Yesterday he had woken up in a new time, had faced the adult Law. The previous morning, they had just decided what the near future would bring, and now he should look at a house, which the village had already more or less chosen for them?

He would like to say that he wouldn't fall for such obvious manipulation, but the one and a half rooms in which he had spent the previous day were already tight for Law alone, for Rosinante they were tiny, and this house...

It really reminded him of his daydreams and even if they could no longer become reality, the idea to live here so close to the sea, the beach, on a peaceful island with nice – if slightly intrusive – neighbors, together with Law, was all he could wish for, and he had not even been inside.

So he went to the neighbor's house, who had actually been waiting for him, and handed him the key with the words that Rosinante should only return the key if he did not want the house.

It was a strange feeling how people treated him here, so friendly and so considerate, things fit almost too well into each other and Rosinante had great difficulty accepting it simply as lucky breaks, much more likely seemed to him a trap.

The people here seemed to be well informed about what was happening in the world, and the prices of the goods on the market, as well as the houses and the clothing of their inhabitants, suggested that the citizens of this island – or at least this village – were more of a wealthy category. However, this was contradicted by the fact that Rosinante had not yet seen one police officer, security guard or other form of security, and he had an eye for such things. This meant that this island was either so far away from any civilization that the probability of an encounter with pirates was simply very low, or that they were close to some powerful estate, whose protective hand extended even over this peaceful island.

Given the prosperity, Rosinante suspected the latter, but this left the question of why a centralized, prosperous island with good-natured inhabitants should have trouble finding a decent doctor. It seemed almost improbable that a well-heeled population would knowingly take in a former pirate with a dubious reputation, let alone welcome him.

No, the longer Rosinante thought about it, the more suspicious he became of what these people actually wanted from Law. At the same time, he did not want to be controlled by the years of espionage, by the time with his brother. Law had told him that he had left this world behind, but Rosinante himself had been a part of it until yesterday.

Maybe the people here were just good-natured, or they were simply used to such a high quality, that only few doctors could deliver besides Law, maybe that was reason enough for them to overlook his past. Perhaps some of them even regarded Law as a hero, after all, he had fought in the Great War two years ago and defended the hope of a better future. Rosinante decided to put his doubts aside and to believe in the goodwill of the islanders.

He wanted this quiet life, on a peaceful island, where the only problem would be the annoying neighbors, but nevertheless he could not simply ignore his feelings. Rationally, he could accept what had happened, but emotionally he had to admit that he had not yet arrived on this island, with the possibility of a peaceful life, at least for a few months, with Law, who was no longer a child, but a grown man who was in the middle of life. 

Mentally, Rosinante might wanted to trust the citizens, but the tension still stuck to his bones as he walked up the three steps to the front door. But all this was forgotten when Rosinante turned the key around and opened the door.

A bright entrance area with high ceilings and wide windows greeted him. The windows gave a view to a large porch and behind it the wide, calm sea on which he had been travelling with Law for months some time ago. Except for a sideboard covered with a dusty sheet, the room was empty. Slowly he put down the bags and stepped in. The ceiling was high enough for chandeliers, even the doors seemed quite expansively built, so that he didn't feel like the giant he was in most houses. Mrs. Paipai and her sister seemed to have a good eye for such things.

The adjoining kitchen was built generously, like for a person who wanted to spend every minute here if possible. From the kitchen he reached an open room, which could probably serve as living or dining room. Here, too, the wall to the sea was completely replaced by windows, and Rosinante finally reached the creaking porch through a glass door.

He stopped and enjoyed the sound of the waves, the smell of salt water. He felt strange, could hardly put into words what was going on within him. His feelings confused him, his rationality let him down. This situation was simply too much for him, the day before yesterday he had been fighting through the cold snow, worried for Law’s life, weighed down by the guilt on his shoulders over his abandoned mission, always wondering when he would finally face those furious eyes of his brother, always wondering when all his lies would come to an end. He had wondered how long he had been cursed to stay silent and when he would have finally been able to break it…

Slowly he took off his shoes and socks, walked down the five steps at the end of the porch, felt his bare feet digging into the wet, cold sand, and just a few steps later, the seawater brushed his ankles.

Silent tears made their way.

He could not remember the last time he had stood in the sea without this overwhelming sense of powerlessness overtaking him, but all he was now feeling was a strange sensation of purity. With each wave, something of the darkness seemed to be washed out of his soul.

It was over!

His brother had been stopped, his intrigues had ended, the world had been freed from his greed.

Rosinante didn't have to fight anymore.

He would take responsibility for the things of the past, but he no longer had to fight.

As his parents had hoped, he could finally lead the peaceful life of a normal person, not on the run, not under a false identity, not surrounded by secrets. But with Law by his side. The boy he had taken in back then, whom he had wanted to protect from the darkness, but who had ultimately saved him from his very own darkness, from his everlasting silence.

He waded deeper into the water, allowing the waves to soak his pants until he finally stood knee-deep in the sea, with each step he seemed to become lighter instead of heavier, free, liberated. His tears became part of the sea hugging him as he watched his blurry reflection in the waves.

He would no longer need make-up to hide his self, would no longer have to stay silent to hide his true feelings. Law was able to talk to him honestly and with a bit of practice he would be able to do the same. With a little practice, he would manage to let go of the boy Law, whom he had to protect from his own but also from Rosinante's abyss. With a little practice, he would allow the adult Law to let him help him beyond his own abysses. Rosinante was no longer alone with this burden, at least not if he wanted to.

If he allowed it, he would not have to defeat his demons alone, he could live a peaceful life here, in this peaceful place, with Law, and help each other heal from their old wounds.

It was true what Rosinante had told Law the previous morning, his suffering seemed disproportionately small in relation to all that Law had to endure, and yet... he too had suffered all those years, all those years before he had met Law, and the time in which he had seen Law suffer, while he had not been able to save him, neither from the disease that had threatened his life, nor from the darkness in his heart.

But all this had passed now, he had been given a second chance, in a new life, in a new place, far from all the things that he hated, but with Law, with whom he was finally on par, because now Law was no longer the boy he had to save from the darkness, but a grown man who could defend himself.

Was it naive to think they could just be happy? Maybe.

Was it presumptuous that he ignored for a moment that Law's feelings for him were so different from his own, and that he still wanted to live a simple life here with him? Probably.

Was it unjust and undeserved that after all that he had done, he could now find his happiness here, led by people who were far too kind to someone like him? Most likely.

Was it selfish that he wanted Law to stay with him, even though he could now live his own life and no longer depended on Rosinante? Absolutely.

And yet, despite everything, despite all the doubts, all the stabs of conscience, all the guilt and uncertainty, despite everything, Rosinante felt so sure.

Here, in this house, on this island, he wanted to live a simple, modest life with Law and perhaps, only perhaps, this dream could become a reality.

With this thought, he decided to go back ashore, turned around at the very moment when the next wave came, and lost his balance.


	8. Chapter 7 - Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,
> 
> I hope you're having a great weekend, I'm actually busy right now with a crashcourse (all weekend from early morning to late evening), but we're having a short break right now, so I wanted to use that time to update real quick ;-)
> 
> I'm really glad so many of you enjoy this fic and take the time to comment^^ Thank you!

Chapter 7 - Home

"What the hell happened to you?"

Law sat at the desk loaded with books and read the newspaper, but now he looked up when Rosinante came in.

"I obviously forgot how to swim," he replied, reluctantly, closing the door behind him.

"You went swimming?" Law asked with a raised eyebrow.

He simply nodded and walked past the other to put away his purchases.

"I wondered where you were," muttered Law, following him into the adjoining room. "The sun is almost setting, you've been away for a long time, too long for some grocery shopping."

_I was worried._

Although Law didn’t say these words, they still hovered in the air, reminding both of them that this new normal was far from being reached.

"I wasn't just shopping," Rosinante replied grumpily, handing Law one of the baskets.

"I already assumed that much," Law said, placing groceries in cabinets, "you were swimming, fully dressed. Intentional?"

The last question was obviously a taunt, despite Law’s toneless voice, but Rosinante decided to ignore it while he closed the fridge and then went to the lockers and started undressing. His clothes were still damp and dirty with salt, sand, and mud.

It had taken him far more time and effort to free himself from the clutches of the sea than he would admit. In fact, he had completely forgotten how to swim, and every new wave and the slumping ground had made it difficult for him. When he had finally made it ashore, he had slumped on the ground, fighting for air. Apparently, he was still a little battered by the years-long coma, at least his pride wanted to believe this little excuse.

"I'm going to take a shower," he muttered, rubbing through his sandy hair.

“Cora-san.”

He turned around. Law stood between half-unpacked baskets and bags and looked at him seriously.

"What happened? You’re acting odd. Is everything okay?"

_I was worried._

Again. He could see it in these grey eyes, these serious wrinkles, and the narrow mouth. Law worried about him. Only because he had come back too late and now because he was behaving strangely.

It hurt. He didn't want Law to worry about him. He wanted Law not only to trust him, but also to trust him coming back unharmed, but of course Law couldn't. For the last time Law had been waiting for him, he had almost lost Rosinante.

It was true that Rosinante was not in a good mood, but he did not know exactly for what reason. Of course, the pathetic failure in the sea hadn’t exactly been a joyful experience – especially because he had dirtied up the clothes Law had carefully gathered for him – but it wasn't enough to diminish his happiness.

No, he knew why he behaved so strangely, had already known it on the way back, already at the market, already during breakfast, already last night.

Law had told him that he wanted to be with Rosinante, but now that Law was healthy and grownup, now that his brother had been defeated and rendered harmless, what right did he have to still stay by Law's side apart of his own selfish feelings?

Unlike his former ward, Rosinante had learned nothing to earn money in an honest way. All he could do was what he had been taught as a soldier, what his brother had taught him, but he lacked any knowledge of how to live a normal life.

He had ignored all this for the last few hours, for the good of Law, but now that he no longer needed to make decisions for Law, now that he had found a counterpart in him, those doubts were about to break him down like the waves not so long ago.

He realized that Law was still looking at him expressionlessly, and then he realized that he was standing in the middle of the room almost naked except for his underpants, and quickly crossed his arms, realizing how his ear tips were getting hot.

He didn't know how to address it. He didn't want to accuse Law or unsettle him, he just wanted Law to be happy.

"You said," Rosinante finally mumbled, "that it would make you happy if we could both lead a peaceful life, right?"

Law nodded, his eyes narrowed to concentrated slits, as if he were expecting a fight.

"I thought about this, a lot," Rosinante continued. "I wondered how to make it possible. I can't even imagine what you must have gone through during the last few years, but I know you're longing for a peaceful, quiet life and that's why you've settled down here."

Law opened his mouth, but Rosinante continued to speak as he tried to arrange his thoughts.

"The problem for me, however, is that..." He interrupted himself and shook his head. "No, it's not a problem. What you want is exactly what I want, Law. But until yesterday I wasn't here, you understand? Until yesterday I was still a soldier, a spy, trying to protect and save you, constantly on the run. Until yesterday you were still the little, sick boy, whom I could not tell the whole truth because I was scared, who I had to take into consideration, and whom I did not want to burden with my problems. Until yesterday, the whole world was still our enemy and behind every door, behind every smile, could hide unknown dangers. Until yesterday, any notion of peace was nothing more than some foolish daydream for me, Law."

For a moment he looked seriously at the other, who had now closed his mouth again and simply withstood his gaze.

Rosinante tapped slightly against his temples.

"Here I am aware that these days can finally be over. But here..." Now he put his hand on his bare chest. "... Here I'm still waiting for my brother to come through the door every moment, that I will give myself away and lose you."

Law was silent and just looked at him.

"I told you this morning that this situation is at least unfamiliar for me, I will have to get used to all this here. Not only to the time that has passed, not only to the fact that you have now grown up, but also to this new life, which is now unknown to me." He hesitated for a moment but decided to just say it out loud. “But I can't do that if I feel useless and wait the whole day for you to come home from work. You know, I would do anything for you, but I'm not ready yet to do nothing - nothing - at all."

Slowly Law nodded and then crossed his arms.

"All right. I understand that all this comes very suddenly for you and you can't just close the past, because it's still far too present for you. I don't expect anything from you either, I just want to be with you and that you're happy. So what does that mean? What is it that you want?"

"I need an occupation," he finally admitted, "just like you. That's why you settled here, and I need something I can do. I don't need to protect you anymore and if you want to stay here, I'm not going to go back to the Marines yet, but I need something to do."

Again, Law nodded.

"It doesn't have to be anything particularly important, you know. I don't have to save lives, but I can’t just wait every day here in this room for you to come home."

"You want to go to work?" Law asked, raising an eyebrow. "You don't have to ask me for that, Cora-san, and you don't need to justify your actions to me. I..."

"I’m not," he waved off, sighing softly. Apparently, he mishandled this conversation. He had tried to show that he saw Law as an adult, whom he could tell his most honest thoughts, but he had completely forgotten what he had intended to address.

"What is it then?"

In response, he bent over for the wet pants and pulled out the key.

"A house."

"A what now?" Law seemed confused.

"The villagers seem to be very grateful that you are here and after the war some families have apparently moved away, so some houses are empty."

He could see the other’s distrust he had felt as well when he had received the key. Law didn't seem to understand what he was trying to say.

"The whole island seems to be talking about us and it seems important to them that you feel comfortable here and don't leave soon. That's why they offered me a house today that we could take over, where we could live."

Now Law's eyes widened in amazement, and Rosinante once and for all decided to ignore his own mistrust and doubts, at least for this one moment.

"Law, I want us to go there," he finally said, what he should have said from the beginning. "It's a beautiful house, right by the sea, and a small path leads through the forest right here, it's not even ten minutes. Mrs. Paipai's sister chose it. A lot has to be fixed, but the ceilings and doors are high and there is still some furniture. I could work on it while you're here, I'll be able to manage a few repairs. The roof is in any case still good and the neighbors have already offered me their help. Also..."

"Okay, okay," Law interrupted him with half a laugh, calmingly lifting both arms. "All right."

His broad smile encouraged Rosinante when he realized how important it was to him. But he was even more surprised how easy the conversation felt and how quickly Law agreed.

"I really doubt that you are some natural craftsman," Law said with a seriousness that made Rosinante wonder if he teased him or not, "but the idea of moving into a home with you makes me very happy. So yes, if you want that, then all right. Let's fix up this old house."

It was almost too easy.

"You haven't even seen it yet?"

"I don't need to," Law replied with a shrug and turned to the groceries again. "If you like it, that's reason enough for me to move there with you."

The other didn’t even look at him as he continued to put stuff away.

"Besides, I have already thought about the fact that the rooms here are far from sufficient for you. For me, they may be big enough, but if you walk around bent all the time or sit on too small furniture, it’s bad for your posture. What is that?"

"No, Law, wait!"

But it was already too late. Law had unwrapped the small package and was now holding the tobacco box that Rosinante had wanted to hide.

"Law, I know you probably think..." He interrupted himself, when Law opened the tin and breathed in deeply, a strangely gentle smile on his lips.

"It smells like you, Cora-san," Law muttered, looking up. "That's the smell of my childhood."

Slowly he approached the other and took the tin out of his hand.

"I should stop smoking, shouldn't I?" He muttered, looking at his addictive drug. "As a doctor and after you have given me a second life, you will hardly approve if I continue to damage my lungs."

Law looked up at him and then placed a hand on Rosinante's chest.

" _Room,"_ he whispered, and a strange feeling filled Rosinante. He couldn't describe it exactly, it was unpleasant, but not painful.

"One more moment," Law muttered, apparently highly concentrated, while thousands of tiny electric charges seemed to chase through Rosinante's body, originating from Law's hand on his bare chest.

Then the strange feeling and the electrical tension in his body subsided and Law took his hand away.

"As long as it is in my power, I will not allow anything or anyone to harm you." Law turned away and continued taking care of the gorceries. "For me, you don't have to change, Cora-san. If you want to stop smoking, do it, if not, don't."

"What have you just done?" Rosinante muttered, brushing over the skin Law had just touched.

"I have eliminated toxic substances from your body. Of course not completely, cleaning at molecular level is much more complex and time consuming, but in one to two hours you should notice a difference by breathing."

"Thank you, Law." It was weird. He didn't know what to think of it, but...

"You don't need to thank me. I have these powers only thanks to you, so I will use them for you." Law turned to him with half a smile. "Weren’t you planning on taking a shower?"

Half an hour later, Law waited for him with a simple dinner. After Rosinante got dressed, they spent a quiet evening talking. Rosinante narrated his experiences at the market and Law talked about work. For this evening life seemed normal, for this evening everything seemed to be as it should be, the lost years and the foreign life unimportant. For this evening it seemed like back then without being like back then.

"Mrs. Paipai persuaded me to take some time off tomorrow afternoon. You could show me the house."

"That sounds like a good plan."

“Cora-san?”

He looked up. Law had slightly tilted his head and looked as seriously at him as usual again.

"You haven't asked a single question tonight. You don't have to worry. I will answer."

Of course, Law had noticed.

"My questions can wait, Law," he finally said, "to be honest, I just wanted to enjoy this evening. The past will catch up with me early enough, tonight it should just be the same as it used to be."

Law got up and began to clear the dishes away.

"It isn’t like it used to be," he muttered after a moment what Rosinante himself had predicted in the morning.

"No, it isn't."

"And somehow I'm very grateful for that."

Surprised, Rosinante looked up.

"In the past you used to speak differently to me or rather, you didn't say everything you wanted to say. You always tried to cheer me up and make me laugh, you protected me." Law looked at him from the corners of his eyes. "Tonight is nice. If that is the future, then I prefer it to the past."

"If you want, this is the future." Rosinante rose and helped the other. "If you want, many evenings will be like today."

Again Law smiled, that smile, which Rosinante never wanted to give up, never wanted to risk again. It was true that Law had grown up, had seen much in the world and had become more serious and calculating, but he was still Law and at the same time he had become so much more.

"I think," Rosinante muttered, looking at the empty plate in his hand, "I can actually stand the adult Law."

Law seemed to pause in his movements.

"I think I'm ready to really get to know you now."

The other turned to him.

"That was not a question," Law said.

“I will not ask any questions. I will listen to you no matter what you want to tell me about you and what you don't."

"Alright," Law replied, taking the plate out of his hand, "but in return you will tell me everything you couldn't tell me back then."

He went to the sink without looking at Rosinante.

"If you want to meet the adult Trafalgar D. Water Law, I want to meet the Commander Donquixote Rosinante."

"This could be a long night."

"I make some coffee."

And so began the conversation they both had feared and expected. For hours, they sat on the sofa next to the transponder snail with the straw hat in the dim light while Law drank his coffee and Rosinante smoked his cigarettes.

Rosinante went first. One arm stretched out on the backrest, the cigarette in the other hand and staring at the old wooden beams of the ceiling.

He spoke of his childhood, of his parents, of his brother, and of other people. He spoke of how his mother died, how his brother had killed his father, and how Sengoku had found him. He spoke of how he had been trained as a soldier from the age of eight, of the beautiful and bad times as a Marine, and how, on Sengoku's orders, he had returned to his brother after 14 years, not to support him, but to stop him one day. He spoke of how he had met Law a year later and of the inner grief that the boy's suffering had caused him. He spoke of all these emotions he had felt while observing Law wordlessly for more than two years, and he spoke of the freedom and happiness he had experienced when he and Law had travelled the world for six months, haunted by death, betrayal, and mystery. He spoke of the illusory hopes he had believed for the future and of the moment when he had finally told the truth.

He didn't know what time it was when he finally finished, but that wasn't important either. After he had finished, Law had been silent for a long time, had stared wordlessly into his cup, then at some point drunken it empty and then he had started talking; his arms supported on his knees, his hands clasping the empty cup, Law himself bent over his cup and facing the ground.

Law also spoke of his childhood, of his parents, of his sister, and of other people. He spoke of how the soldiers from neighboring countries had wiped out his family and his entire homeland. He spoke of the hatred that had filled and formed him and that had brought him to Doflamingo and finally to a place where he had been able to live out his hatred. He spoke of the time before he knew Rosinante's secret and of the time afterwards. He spoke of the happiness and the home he had found and of how both had then been taken away by Doflamingo. He spoke of the revenge he had wanted to carry out and the oath to do it all in Rosinante's name, to stop his brother in his name. He spoke of how he had found friends and companions on his journey, but who, for all their kindness and warmth, had not been able to fill the hole in his chest. He spoke of the intrigues of the world, which he had joined to fulfill his oath and the moment when he had finally made it. He spoke of the time when the events of the world had happened too quickly and he had expected every day – had hoped every day - that finally his last day had come. He spoke of the moment when the world had finally stopped for a moment and these illusory hopes for a future had filled him, and he spoke of the moment when Rosinante had finally woken up, finally recognized him, had returned to him.

Afterwards, they were quiet for a long time. Only when Rosinante's sleeve caught fire they briefly broke their silence, but with Law's impressive skills, even this was worth nothing more than an eye roll.

Now they were sitting there, Rosinante looking up at the ceiling while Law stared down at the floor.

He didn't know what the other was thinking, but Rosinante was overwhelmed by all the things that had happened during his years of absence, of all the things he had missed, of the man Law had become in his absence. Despite everything Law had done, despite the burden of his deeds, which he had to bear all his life.

"I'm really proud of you," Rosinante finally muttered to the ceiling, "so proud of you."

Law did not respond, remaining in his position, hiding his face in the shadow of the dim light, as Rosinante could see from the corners of his eyes.

"When I took over my mission, the task was a clear: to find out enough information about my brother that we can stop him – to take him down – before he could plunge the world into chaos with his madness." Rosinante sighed. "But the truth is, for far too long, I had this little hope that I would somehow be able to save him. I knew how stupid this hope was, I knew I had lost him, but until the end, even when he stood right in front of me... Despite everything, I wanted to believe that there was a tiny last spark of light left in my brother's darkness."

Law was still silent and Rosinante felt the burden on his shoulders.

“If I hadn't been seduced by my feelings, if I would have been the first to shoot, then none of this would have happened. You have borne the burden of my failure and brought down my brother without falling into his or your own darkness. You are much stronger than I have ever been, and even if it fills me with humility, I am also proud of the man you have become, despite my failure."

The last ashes fell on his fingers as the cigarette in his hand completely burned down.

"From the beginning, I thought," Law finally said in a hoarse voice, "I thought that the pain in my chest would become less if I would carry out your will. As long as I chased your brother, I felt like you were somehow with me, close to me, and I thought if I killed him, the pain would finally stop."

Rosinante looked at the other, who still wasn't moving.

“When I confronted him, I really wanted to kill him, I wanted to do what you couldn't do because he's your brother. But I couldn't. Not because I believed he was worth saving, but simply because I was too weak, because I couldn't defeat him, even though I wanted to."

Finally, Law tilted his head slightly and looked over to him.

"You are not weak, Cora-san, you are kind. Even in your brother you wanted to see this glimmer of hope, even though you saw him kill your father. I'm glad you couldn't kill your brother.” Then he looked away again. "At the end of the day, it was precisely this kindness that saved me from my own darkness."

He could see single tears slipping down Law's cheeks as he continued to stare at the cup in his hands.

"If it hadn’t been for you, I would still be this hateful person of that time, and in the fight against your brother, this hatred overwhelmed me again. If it hadn't been for the Straw Hat, I would have fallen into that darkness that day. You gave up everything to save me and I almost betrayed your sacrifice."

Law sighed quietly.

"If I have learned one thing in recent years, it is that the qualities that make up our character can be both strength and weakness, depending on the situation. Your kindness may have been a weakness towards your brother, but because of it you saved me. My feelings for you have blinded me in the fight against Doflamingo, but only thanks to them you are here now next to me. We are human beings; we make mistakes and act according to our feelings and our consciences."

Surprised, he looked at the other.

"You've become quite wise, haven't you?"

Law laughed quietly.

"And yet I am a selfish brat."

"Why are you saying something like that?"

Suspiciously, he watched the other, who sighed again and then leaned back.

“I'm not the only one who missed you, Cora-san. I spoke to Sengoku back then; you were like a son to him. For him you are still dead, and it would only be right if you went to him." Law leaned back against the backrest and Rosinante's arm and tilted his head in Rosinante’s direction. “But I don't want you to go. I know how selfish I am, but I don't want to have to share you, at least not now, not now already. I don't want you to go and commit yourself to other things, other people. Not yet, not now when I've just got you back."

For a moment, the little boy seemed to break through again and yet Law honestly said what he wanted. He was also right; reason told Rosinante that he should leave today rather than tomorrow and face his responsibilities, but...

"Then I'm not leaving," he decided simply.

“What?”

"He took me in when I had nothing left, raised me like his own flesh and blood, and yet..." He withstood Law's deep gaze. "Even then, I placed my mission below your well-being, Law, and still I let you down. It is true that I want to see Sengoku again and I have to face my responsibilities, but here and now I want to settle my debt to you first and if it is your wish, then I will stay. We will take the time we need and then I will face my past."

Law rose and massaged his neck with one hand.

"I want you to stay," he said clearly, looking down at him, "but you owe me nothing. I don't want you to stay because you feel obliged, but because you want to."

Rosinante laughed quietly and raised the house key.

"I got a house for us, of course I want to stay with you."

With a warm smile, Law stretched and looked at the window by the kitchenette.

"The sun will rise soon. It would be pointless to lie down now. I'll take a shower and then catch up with paperwork before Mrs. Paipai arrives." Law leaned forward and ruffled through Rosinate’s hair. "I love you, Cora-san."

"I know," he replied, allowing Law to kiss him. "I love you, too, little one."

Law rose again and gave him this precious smile, which he never wanted to lose again.

"Take a nap, Cora-san, and this afternoon you show me our new home."


	9. Chapter 8 - Happiness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,
> 
> I hope you're doing all good, I'm a little busy right now (I feel like I say that everytime I update^^'), but that's fine, because that makes me creative, even though I have barely time to write... well, whatever, this chapter here is a very calm one, but I like it very much, not as much when I wrote it, but I kind of like the vibe it gives whenever I read it again, so I hope you feel the same ;-)
> 
> Have a great weekend^^

Chapter 8 - Happiness

"At the crossroad we take the right and then we're almost there," he said, pointing forward.

"And the left path leads where? Inland?" Law asked curious and stopped at the crossroad.

"Uhm, one of the neighbors - Tuntun? – meant it leads deeper into the forest and then to a mountain range. Apparently very nice for hiking and good for getting to the surrounding villages and towns."

"I like hiking," Law muttered as they continued their journey. The shadows under his eyes testified to the lack of sleep last night, but since they had entered the forest, he seemed more vital, as if the shadows of the trees gave him strength.

Then they had reached the edge of the forest.

"That's it," Rosinante said, pointing to the house that appeared right in front of them, "as I said, it's barely ten minutes."

Once again Law stopped, and when Rosinante turned to him, he could see a multitude of emotions rushing across his face.

"Do you want to go inside?"

Law just nodded and moved on.

Rosinante was well aware that this house was not just a house. None of them took the concept of a home for granted, too many terrible memories had overshadowed this simple term. But precisely for this reason Rosinante had agreed to the insane proposal of the islanders. This was their second chance at life, which they had been denied 17 years ago. Rosinante wanted this to be their home.

He opened the door and let Law enter, followed him inside, and watched him. Like himself the previous day, Law strode carefully through the rooms, stopped here and there, looked around cautiously, stroked over hung furniture and bare walls. He said no word while inspecting the individual rooms until they finally stood on the porch in front of the sea.

"I never knew you like the sea that much," he muttered, watching the waves.

"Would you prefer moving somewhere further away?" Rosinante asked.

"No," Law muttered, and turned to him, "let's live here, Cora-san."

Pure happiness spread through him. At last, this peaceful life would begin. Joyful impatience filled him.

"Then come on. I've already thought about how to use the rooms." He grabbed Law's wrist and dragged him along. "I thought that the room to the forest would be a good study for you. All your books and much more will probably fit into the many wall cabinets and shelves. The other two rooms are much smaller, but they are only for sleeping and..."

"You've really thought a lot about this already."

Rosinante stopped and looked at the other. Law smiled broadly and those deep eyes sparkled playfully. He didn't tease Rosinante but seemed genuinely enthusiastic.

"Tell me more."

Now they walked through the rooms again, but this time Rosinante spoke quite animatedly about his ideas, while Law also did not hold back his own. They talked about the things that still needed to be done and what kind of furniture they needed, how they wanted to set up the individual rooms, and with each minute they became more enthusiastic.

They didn’t agree on everything, but their differences could not diminish their eagerness. In the course of the early evening, various neighbors came by, some just to get to know them, others to offer their help, others because they had missed the open office hour, and a few of them equipped with furnishings, utensils, or tools.

Before Law and Rosinante even knew what was happening, it was late at night and half the village helped them to make the house at least ready for them to move in soon. The carpenter Sansan and his daughter offered to build a bed big enough for Rosinante, and the sons of the electrician Biubiu checked the pipes.

They all ignored Laws and Rosinante's words of restraint and that such gestures were not necessary, and so the work turned into a small celebration in the late evening. Even more people came, brought food, drinks, blankets, and chairs and the atmosphere was high-spirited.

Rosinante sat with a cigarette on the balustrade of the porch and watched the strangers who had welcomed them so warmly. By now, he already felt like one of them, like a friend who had come home after a long journey. Most of the villagers seemed to be close friends, and Rosinante was treated as if he had always been one of them.

While most politely addressed Law with Doctor or his last name, they simply called Rosinante Corazon, as Law had introduced him to Ninnin – who, by the way, was also present and apparently did not tolerate large amounts of alcohol – and somehow he liked it. Law had told him that his family's name was associated with unpleasant memories for most people by his brother's actions, but he didn't think it was that bad. After all, this was the name with which he had met Law. Corazon may once have been his nickname, a name he had connected with secrets, intrigues, and terrible deeds, but thanks to Law, Rosinante now knew that Corazon was much more than just a title, it was his name, his essence; he liked people calling him Corazon, after all it meant heart. 

Yes, he felt happy, all these kind, friendly people who led a peaceful life and whose greatest restlessness was the arrival of the young doctor and his odd roommate. Some of them asked quite curious questions, some even quite intrusive, but were usually hushed directly by their family members or friends. Most of them seemed interested but remained polite, talking more than asking questions.

All in all, it was a very nice evening and slowly he felt how the tension of the last years – which had already happened years ago – started to fade, while Sansan explained him that the islanders owed their prosperity in particular to the high-quality wood that they had been growing and processing here for generations. The old man boasted that the wood of this island was so good that even shipyards on the other side of the world were working with them, and that there were more wood processing factories inland than this village had houses. Several times he slapped Rosinante’s shoulders vigorously and envied him for his height and strength, which could only be conducive to such an activity. Rarely had Rosinante felt as guarded as here between all these strangers who were already treating him like one of their own.

Law, on the other hand, did not seem to be able to handle the whole situation that well. Just like these people treated him with respect and some distance, he also kept his distance from them, remained polite but reserved, did not participate in conversations, nor did he enjoy food or drinks. Until now he had just leaned on the distant wall of the house, but now he pushed himself off and went back inside.

After a moment, Rosinante decided to follow him, but it took him far more time than he had expected to escape those welcoming conversations. As an involuntary host, it wasn't easy to withdraw, but at some point he was finally able to.

Eventually he found Law in the kitchen, which was now back in working condition, doing dishes.

"Are you alright?"

The other looked up when Rosinante came in and nodded.

“Festivities aren't my cup of tea and too many conversations give me a headache. Sorry."

"No, no, don’t be. You've been up the whole night and got to be exhausted after this day.”

Law shrugged and then handed him the things to dry.

“That's okay. We did a lot today. There's still a lot of work to be done, but I've thought about packing my stuff tomorrow after work and bringing it here."

"Didn't Mrs. Paipai say you should take time off tomorrow? She seems to be really worried that you're overwork," he said, putting the dishes away.

"Yes, she did and yes, she does. But haven't you just seen Ninnin? I don't think she can work tomorrow, so I will.”

"So reliable."

"It's my job," Law replied with a shrug.

“But that's fine. Starting tomorrow I will also have a lot to do. The Biubius helped me to put together a list of what still needs to be done according to urgency and the young girl Sansan wanted to come by tomorrow and help me. She seems to have a lot more experience in such things than I do, especially given her age. Her father also wanted to come help after work."

Law laughed quietly.

"You seem to get along well with the villagers, don’t you?"

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, no," Law dried his hands on Rosinante's rag. "It makes me happy to see you so joyful."

Surprised, he looked down at the other before leaning against the counter, while Law continued.

"For a person as cheerful and sociable as you, the time with your brother must not have been easy. I think I've never seen you laugh and talk as much as tonight. The silence must have been terrible."

Rosinante looked down on his own hand before lifting it up and snapping, as he would have done until a few days ago to silence the world.

"Without my devil power, I would certainly have given myself away," he confessed quietly, "but yes, even if the time with you at sea was lovely, I am glad that the time of silence and lies is over."

"Me too."

"Law," he whispered as Law grabbed his upper arm and he immediately recognized the other's gaze, "I can't..."

"I know," Law interrupted him, reaching for the hand Rosinante had just snapped with. "I know you don't feel like I do, Cora-san. I don't expect you to at all. But please... please don't turn me away."

He wanted to listen to reason, he wanted to talk to Law honestly about his feelings and about Rosinante not returning them in this way and that it would make them unhappy if they ignored it.

But Law's gaze silenced all his reason. He knew Law was longing for a love he couldn't give. At the same time, he had vowed never to be the cause of Law's suffering. He had failed and left him alone, only for that reason Law was now an adult who had been forced to grow up without unconditional love. Rosinante knew full well that no matter how loving and gentle his words of denial would be, he would hurt Law, would cause him pain, and Law would withdraw, distance himself from Rosinante.

He knew full well that this was not right here, was not reasonable, but if this was the love Law needed to be happy, if only Rosinante could do this to save Law from more suffering, then he had little choice. He never again wanted to see Law as full of hatred as he had been back then, no matter how old Law was now. He never wanted to see him trapped in the darkness again, but that the other would bring out the light he was carrying so radiantly, so that everyone could see in him what Rosinante had always seen.

Rosinante would do nothing that could risk this light, so against any reason, against any better knowledge, he bent down and smiled at Law.

"I would never turn you away, Law."

When the other kissed him this time it was different, no short touch of the lips, hardly worth mentioning, but more, real. Law grabbed his hair, placed his other hand on Rosinante's shoulder, as if to make sure Rosinante wouldn't turn away. Law's lips moved, rubbing against his, soft yet determined.

Rosinante hardly dared to move, dared barely to breathe and then it was over. Law leaned against his forehead, Rosinante could see the quiet smile in the shadows, but much more captured him those deep eyes, looking at him so intensely that he forgot to breathe.

"I love you, Cora-san," Law whispered, slipping up Rosinante's shoulder and neck with his free hand, almost tenderly caressing his cheek, "and I am so happy to be here with you."

He couldn't resist that look. Feelings of 17 years and even longer seemed to break free in those eyes and slowly he really understood what Law had meant when he had said that he had been waiting all this time for him, that his feelings were no longer just those of a small child, that all his friends could not fill the hole in his heart.

Because apparently only he could. Only Rosinante was apparently able to make Law really happy, and even if it unsettled him – it really frightened him – it filled him with a warmth that he could neither explain nor approve. Back then, one of his greatest fears had been that Law would hate him once he found out who and what Rosinante really was, but Law had taken that fear from him the previous day, revealing that he had always known.

Now it had been one of his greatest fears that he had no value for the adult Law, now that Law needed neither guardian nor healing, was probably more powerful - probably much more powerful - than he and no longer needed to hide. What could Rosinante offer him as the child of a broken nobility and soldier who had turned his back on his authority?

He had no special abilities, not even his devil power, and was not even ahead of Law anymore in terms of wisdom of old age and yet, despite everything, his pure presence seemed to make Law happy and that filled him with gratitude and humility. He couldn't do much, but he could make sure Law would never lose that Happiness again.

"I know," he whispered, framing Law's face with both hands, "I'm also happy to be here with you."

For a moment they remained in this intimate position, but then sudden loud laughter from the porch made them startle.

"Let's go back to practice," Law said, moving away from him. “I'm tired and I won’t be able to sleep at all with those strangers on our porch.”

"Is it okay if we just leave them behind? After all, we're the hosts," Rosinante wondered, as Law pulled him along, and for a moment he regretted that he had lost his ability, that would have made some things easier for Law.

"Host is someone who invites people. We haven't invited anyone; they've just showed up and as long as they clean up in the end they can celebrate as long as they want."

Laughing, he followed the other.

"You sound like an old man, Law. They have given us this house and they are also helping us to restore it. You should be grateful."

"I am grateful," Law said simply as they reached the forest, "but I'm also tired and I don't like so many people around me. That's too loud for me.”

It wasn't until they were in the middle of the forest that Rosinante noticed that Law had still not let him go, was still holding his hand, even though they were now strolling side by side at a moderate pace, above them only the treetops and the stars of the night.

With a soft smile, Rosinante looked to the sky, felt Law squeeze his hand a little tighter and decided that it was okay for the moment. At some point, he would have to talk to Law about it, but perhaps he should wait until Law no longer seemed so fragile, not so close to the abyss. In a few days, weeks, when the normality of their daily lives would give them security and stability, they would be able to talk about all this and he would help Law to be happy, even if they did not feel the same for each other.

From the corner of his eye, he looked down at Law, who yawned loudly and rubbed his face with his free hand.

Rosinante, too, was happy, his feelings may not were the same, but at least as strong, so it made him happy to see Law this pleased and carefree. Maybe he didn't have to protect him, he didn't have to make decisions for him, maybe he didn't have to offer him the world, maybe it was just enough if Rosinante was there for him, solid as a rock, soft as a feather, the unwavering affection that Law never needed to question. The honest love that Law would never lose.

Rosinante had always been ready to give his life for Law and if this was his job, he would fulfill it with joy.

"I'm really happy," he muttered to the sky, only to feel Law pressing his hand a little tighter again and not letting him go until they finally reached the practice.


	10. Chapter 9 - Porch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> I hope you're having a great weekend and here comes the next chapter to make it hopefully even better ;-)  
> Because christmas is next weekend, I can't promise I will be able to upload the next chapter then. Of course, I'll try, but usually my life is rather busy during the holidays and my uploading-process unfortunatly is not as quick as it might seem...  
> Oh, well, just in case I won't be able to make it, I wish you all some pleasent last days of this quite unusual year and that the next one may start better to you than this one ended. And in loving words of my co-worker: See you on the other side ;-)
> 
> All the best and have some good reading  
> Sharry

Chapter 9 - Porch

“Cora-san!”

Surprised, he looked up.

Between the trees, Law appeared, a wobbly stack of boxes on his shoulder, and waved up to him.

"Law!" He answered joyfully, rubbing the sweat off his forehead and waving back.

The midday sun shone brightly and the hard physical work had exhausted him quite a bit, but Law's sight alone filled him with new energy.

Rosinante had gotten up quite early – Law had still been asleep – and had left for their new home to continue with the work. Currently he was working at the roof with Halhal, the daughter of the carpenter Mr. Sansan, repairing minor damage, which was not yet a problem, but would cause the house to suffer over time.

Suddenly Rosinante slipped with his hand and before he could reach for anything, he bounced down the roof.

"Corazon!" Halhal shouted after him but couldn't grab him.

“ _Room! Shambles!”_

The next moment Rosinante lay unharmed on the ground and a single pebble fell on him.

"But what...?" He muttered, looking around in disbelief.

"Corazon! Is everything okay?" Halhal shouted down to him.

"Yes, everything is okay," he replied.

"You should be more careful." Law stopped next to him, dropping the mountain of boxes, and squatted down. "You could have hurt yourself."

_I was worried._

"That was you?" He whispered, and Law just nodded. "A powerful ability."

With a quiet smile, Law offered his hand.

"And you haven't even seen me fight."

Heavily, Rosinante let himself be pulled up by the other.

"And I will do everything in my power that you will never need to again."

Law gave him that warm smile, and together they carried the boxes, which apparently contained mainly Law's books, inside.

"I haven't expected you yet," he remarked, when he put the boxes down, "not for another two or three hours."

"We had done all the appointments and the waiting room was empty," Law explained, stretching slightly, "so I thought I'd help you. However, I am on call."

He pulled a small transponder snail out of his pocket.

"Luckily, the practice is close if something should happen."

"Are these all books?" Rosinante began to open the first box.

"The ones over there are the clothes I bought for you, otherwise only a few things are missing, I will bring them next time. Now I want to help you."

Together with Law and his impressive ability, they progressed much faster than Rosinante had expected. In particular, the time-consuming carrying up of the materials was now done with a snap of the finger, and while Rosinante and Halhal were working on the roof, Law had set out to repair the floor in the kitchen and the adjacent living and dining room.

This evening as well some villagers came by to help them, but this time much less than the previous day. The Biubiu brothers and another friend helped them fixing the two bathrooms and explained how to operate the boiler.

Apart from the bathrooms, the porch and the garden around the house actually needed the most work, but that was something that could wait until later and what Rosinante could do over the days.

At sunset they were finished with the repairs of the roof and the large bathroom could now be used, so Law went back to the practice to fetch towels and the like; they had decided to spend the first night in their new home.

The big brother of Halhal had brought them food in the meantime and after a cheerful supper the others said goodbye and wished them a nice evening.

So it happened that Law and Rosinante sat alone on the crunching porch for the first time, somewhat illuminated by the light of the kitchen, which shone through the living room to them outside and in front of them the dark sea, whose calm waves were illuminated by the small crescent moon and the thousands of stars.

"We've come a long way," Law said as he sipped on his tea.

"Yes, thanks to the great help of the others, but from tomorrow on we are on our own," agreed Rosinante, taking one of the dried plums Law had brought him. One of his absolute favourite foods, which in his opinion was far too bad to be wrapped in rice.

"Didn’t Kelkel say he would come over one of the next few days to properly connect the other bathroom and Halhal wanted to bring the furniture over along with her brother, right?"

He could feel Law's gaze. They were lucky that the villagers were so generous. Furniture that was pleasing to both Law and Rosinante in size always cost a fortune, and even Law didn't have that much on the high edge.

"Yes, that's true." He leaned back and looked up to the stars. "But from tomorrow it is up to us to prepare this house so that it can become our home."

For a moment they both remained silent and only the sound of the waves and the whisper of the forest could be heard. Law then placed a hand on Rosinante’s.

"Where you are, I'm at home. This house will be a home through you."

He could hardly prevent from blushing and that even though he had thought exactly the same.

"Welcome home," he muttered, smiling at Law, whose eyes widened for a moment before he smiled and also looked up to the sky.

"I'm back."

The next few weeks spun away. Every morning Rosinante got up early and started to set up their home, while Law went to work and joined him in the evening, painting walls, repairing floorboards, exchanging tiles, and doing all that needed to be done.

The evenings were mostly long and ended with them lying dirty or stained with paint on the floor, too exhausted to even shower or eat something.

Law had also traveled to a neighboring island for a few days when several residents there had complained over the same worrying symptoms and Law had wanted to avoid spreading to all surrounding islands.

Rosinante had not accompanied him, partly because he had wanted to finish the second bath with Kelkel and also because Law had wanted to prevent him from getting infected.

Law had also taken time off a few days, especially when Rosinante needed help for some things Laws abilities had been handy for.

By now they had made good progress and had done the most important work in the house. Thanks to the helpful and generous neighbours, most of the rooms were furnished and most of what they needed had been available at the weekly market.

"Tomorrow I think I'll start with the porch," Rosinante muttered, his arms folded under the back of his head as the wood beneath him creaked approvingly. "We spend so many evenings out here, not that it will break in with us at some point."

From the corner of his eye, he could see Law looking over his book down at him from his chair.

"Don't you want to take a break tomorrow?"

"What?" Surprised, he sat up. "You are the one who, in addition to his work in the practice, spends half the night working on the house."

"I spoke to Ninnnin and Mrs. Paipai. They liked your idea to close the practice one day and take turns on call."

"Really?"

"Yes, so I may be called, but if not, I can spend the whole day with you tomorrow."

Law folded his book and laid it down on his armrest before slipping from his chair to Rosinante on the floor. Under the creaking of the wood he lay down.

Rosinante looked at him for a moment before he laid back down too and looked up to the star-lit night sky.

"We used to sleep under the stars a lot," he said. "Even with freezing temperatures. It was far too dangerous to be recognized, but I often worried that it would be bad for you."

"It was often cold," Law confirmed next to him, "but I never froze. You were always there and tucked me in."

"It was also freezing cold on Minion."

"That's true." Law turned to the side and looked at him while Rosinante continued to look up to the stars. The other rested his chin on one hand and seemed to observe him. "I like the weather here. The sky is mostly clear, but even at night it is warm and even the coldest nights here do not freeze."

Rosinante nodded in agreement. The day had exhausted him, but they had done a lot and he was very satisfied, enjoyed the sound of the waves just a few meters away and Law's voice right next to him, his left leg placed over Rosinante's thigh.

It was nothing unusual. In recent weeks, he had often noticed that Law was apparently mindlessly touching him, and even though Rosinante had initially misunderstood it as an awkward expression of his romantic feelings, he now knew it was much more complex.

Despite the weeks that had passed, Law still needed security, confirmation that Rosinante was really there, not suddenly dissolving into thin air. Every single touch was a sign of affection, but also of longing and even more, a sign of great fear to be abandoned.

Rosinante had decided that he would accept these feelings, even if he did not respond to them. He wouldn't reject Law, knowing that this might have been the wiser, healthier, decision.

However, he could not say that it was simply unpleasant for him. He, too, had rarely experienced tenderness and unconditional affection in his life, and when Law looked at him with these deep eyes, he knew immediately that he was his most important person in life.

It didn't seem right, it felt weird and yet it made him happy.

Rosinante himself kept his distance from such romantic gestures, and Law did not seem to expect that from him, not expecting him to feel the same, but whenever Law expressed his affection for him, Rosinante allowed it, thus showing the form of his unconditional love, however different it may be.

This strange relationship had developed during the recent weeks, and although Rosinante had great doubts about whether it was the right decision, every gentle kiss, every tender touch, every quiet whisper seemed to make Law happier.

There was hardly a moment when the shadows seemed to obscure his eyes, and when he smiled at Rosinante as he did right now, his doubts were suddenly far away and he couldn't help but smile.

"Starting tomorrow there will be a market on Haru for a week. It only takes place every six months and there are traders from all over the world. A lot of islanders have advised me to go there, so I thought we could visit it tomorrow," explained Law his day off.

"It's a great idea. I also have a list of things we still need. We can certainly find some of that there."

Law laughed softly.

"I didn't expect this renovation to motivate you so much, Cora-san. I didn't expect you to be so handy with tools.”

"Well, I really do not have any talent for that," Rosinante muttered, looking at his left hand with all its bandages. He had actually managed to hit every single finger with the hammer – and sometimes with a hammer _and_ nail – but they hardly hurt any more, Law had only wanted to be safe.

"But I enjoy doing something meaningful every day. At the end of the day to know what I've done. Besides..." now he looked at Law, "... this is our home. I want it to be as beautiful as possible."

Then he laughed and folded his arms under the back of his head again.

"And if you're the one who brings the money home, I can at least make sure you have a nice home to return to."

For a while they lay there in silence, not for a second Law seemed to take his gaze off, but Rosinante decided to ignore it. He also had these moments, mostly when Law wouldn't notice it so easily – though he certainly did – while looking at the other extensively, reacquainting this familiar alien body.

"Why don't you use make-up anymore, Cora-san?"

Now he tilted his head slightly to see the other, who had still placed his chin on his palm and supported his elbow against the creaking porch.

"Do you prefer the make-up?" He said.

Law shrugged.

"I used to see you very rarely without. Mostly only when I woke up before you and you had taken it off the evening before. I just wonder why you don't use it anymore."

"Because it's no longer necessary." For a moment he closed his eyes and breathed in the magnificent sea air. "The make-up was my mask, behind which I could hide my feelings, like my brother's sunglasses, although of course he always showed his feelings quite openly."

He sighed softly.

"Unfortunately, I have never been particularly good at hiding my feelings, just like you or other soldiers I know. When I applied the make-up it was easier. The make-up and my devil power were my camouflage. Without make-up and in uniform I was the honest soldier Rosinante. The make-up was a disguise of the Elite officer Corazon. But here and now I am neither one nor the other, here and now I am just Cora-san, without uniform, without masquerade, so I don't use make-up anymore. Here with you, I can be just myself."

Law smiled as he raised his free hand and caressed Rosinante’s cheek as if he were following the invisible contours of his make-up.

"I liked the make-up. You always looked like you were smiling, even if you didn't." Law then leaned forward and kissed him. "But I like your true smile much more."

Rosinante looked at the deep eyes above him, which were at least as engaging as the stars in the background.

"I like your smile," he whispered, pulling out a hand behind his head and grasping Law's chin, caressed the soft beard, along the jawbone to the hairline. "I like how you smile with your eyes."

Again Law leaned over him, stroked through his hair, over his chest, and kissed him. Rosinante let it happen and allowed himself, at least for a moment, to enjoy these tendernesses, to experience this affection.

He couldn't love Law as Law loved him, but that didn't mean he hadn't longed for such touches. At least for that moment, he allowed his doubts and stabs of conscience to be carried away by the wind while Law was so close to him.


	11. Chapter 10 - Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A happy new year everybody!!!
> 
> I hope you arrived save and sound in this new year and may it bring to you all the more joy and happiness!  
> Have fun with this new chapter and see you next week ;-)
> 
> Sharry

Chapter 10 - Journey

"Oh, I'm so done," Rosinante stretched his legs while slouching down on the wide armchair of the café. Early in the morning, he and Law had set off to the neighboring island Haru by ferry.

The crossing had taken barely an hour and after that they had spent the whole day at the market, bought necessary and less necessary things, watched showpeople, looked at expenses, talked to all kinds of acquaintances and strangers.

By now, they had both run their feet sore and had gone for a breather into a sweet little café without having even seen half of the huge market. Luckily, Law's transponder snail had not rang even once, so they didn't have to interrupt their daytrip.

"I don't think it makes sense to keep pushing through the crowd with all this stuff," Law mumbled, sipping his coffee. "If we still forgot something, we should visit again at the end of the week. This salesman of the kitchen knives told me that by then usually much less people come by and some stalls also offer discounts for what they have left."

"No wonder, these prices are something else," Rosinante remarked, leaning forwards to reach for his tea. "400 Berry for a cup of tea, 100 Berry for the daily newspaper, 800 Berry for..."

"Cora-san," Law interrupted him with a quiet laugh, "you complain like these old men at the booth. These are completely normal prices. You know that inflation-related prices rise over the years."

"But Law, 2,000 Berry..."

"I told you that I make enough money for the both of us. You don't need to have a bad conscience, Cora-san," Law immediately struck his nerve. "Back then you used your money for us and now it's my turn. The islands here are prospering and the people are generous, I earn more than enough to enable us to live a carefree life."

Rosinante remained silent and drank his tea. Law was right. It was quite natural that prices would rise over the course of 17 years, and it was also true that Law earned quite well from his work in the practice. Nevertheless, Rosinante was reluctant to spend this money.

He had to admit that he had never had a reasonable relationship with money. In his life, he had either money in abundance or none at all. He had received a salary as a Marine, but since he had almost never left the bases, he had not been able to spend anything and after his alleged death the rest had probably fallen back into the treasury. When he had returned to his brother, he was disgusted by how Doflamingo had lavishly thrown the blood money around.

Reluctantly, he had taken some with him to be able to take care of Law on the long journey, and had also stolen when it had to be, as he had done when he had been a child.

Today, everything seemed outrageously expensive to him. Although the money he spent was neither stolen nor whipped, he disliked throwing Law's hard-earned wages out the window for overpriced goods.

"If this subject is so difficult for you, look for work."

Surprised, he looked up. He hadn't even noticed that he had fallen into his brooding. Law nodded simply and took a sip.

"I can imagine that you haven't really learned how a normal person should deal with money. Your brother at least had his own rules of the game and I doubt that world aristocrats really understand the concept of money in general." He shrugged. “As I said, I really make enough that you don't need to and for me you wouldn't have to. But if it’s that hard for you to spend the money I earn, then consider looking for a job. It doesn't have to be full-time, maybe just one or two days a week, so you get a feeling for it."

"But... but the house..."

"With the things we bought today, we will be able to handle most of the interior work within the next few days and the veranda is one way or another a longtime project, a few days more or less will make no difference. So, what do you think?"

Law looked at him as serious as usual.

Rosinante liked this grownup, calculating way Law had already shown as a young boy. Law had always been someone who quietly grasped situations and problems and then searched for rational, meaningful solutions, sometimes more or less empathetic.

He looked at the half-empty cup in his hand.

"I've never really worked in my life," he muttered, looking up, "I mean honest, proper work, not as a soldier, not as a pirate's henchman. I don't have any training, who would want me to work for them?"

Again, Law shrugged.

"There are countless professions for which you do not need some special years of training – and this would also be a possibility if you are interested in something certain, after all you’re still young – in many jobs you get taught by the more experienced colleagues and do not need much prior knowledge. As I said, you don't need to do that for me, but if you think it would be good for you, you should do it."

It was kind of weird to be called young by the very person he once had carried on his shoulders, but Rosinante would get used to it.

The waiter came over and Law paid before they got up, collected their countless bags, baskets, and boxes, and headed for the port. On this island it was much fresher than on Natsu, so the sea wind almost made them freeze, despite the early evening sun still being far from the horizon.

"I think I really want to look for a job," Rosinante said as they boarded the almost deserted ferry, and Law shook his tired hands from carrying all those bags. "I enjoy working around the house; I never knew how gratifying it can be to do something; how satisfying honest work can be."

Law just nodded and then reached for Rosinante’s hand as they sat down, before them the vastness of the sea.

"I will ask Mrs. Paipai if she knows anything for you." He leaned his head against Rosinante's upper arm and pressed his hand lightly. "I'm sure you'll find a great job."

"Take a nap, Law. You got up far too early this morning and hardly slept the last few days."

The other did not even disagree, but just closed his eyes, and a few seconds later his steady breath was almost drowned out by the waves that broke on the ferry. Rosinante, on the other hand, leaned back a little against the backrest – always careful not to wake up Law, who was nestled to him – and looked at the sea.

The last few weeks had been almost like a dream. Every morning, he had learned about world events that had long since passed or just happened recently – which Law had often to explain to him – before he had spent half a day pondering about it while carrying out his craft work.

Much had happened in the world, and with each new piece of the puzzle, he became more and more aware that the man who pressed his hand so firmly even in his sleep was not an insignificant part of the story, even though his name rarely occurred in articles, quite different from the names of the various members of the straw hat pirate crew. Like Law, they seemed to have chosen not to help shape the new world order, for which they were not entirely irresponsible, but preferred to travel the whole world.

Nevertheless, there seemed to be several voices who either wanted to see the straw hats punished as war criminals or demanded that they should even determine the new world order. The majority of those currently in charge seemed to have some kind of connection to this strange pirate crew, and it was not uncommon for Rosinante to read the name of once quite insignificant kingdoms, which now took on important tasks and aspired to a fairer world.

Most of the world's states seemed to have placed themselves under the auspices of a new organization, which had probably been founded after the Great War and had replaced the World Government.

Under the title of the "Nation Association", also called "NA", this new organization – consisting of former Marines, world leaders, criminals, and others – tried to change the world and only time would tell if it would succeed.

As a sign of a turnaround, the headquarters of this organization had been placed on a former Marine island near the Red Line, where the battle of Marine Ford had taken place six years ago, which - according to the now prevailing opinion - had laid the foundation for the turmoil, finally leading into the overthrow of the old government.

It seemed fitting to build the international organization that wanted to unite the world in the place where a new era had been declared. The pirates Puma D. Ace and Edward Newgate, also known as Whitebeard, had been written down in history as heroes of this turnaround.

But as much encouragement as the new world order had, so much doubt and resistance stood against it, and Rosinante understood only too well why Law had turned his back on this stage. Now, just two years after the Great War, in which both Law and the straw hat crew had been involved, the world still seemed to be full of turmoil and conflict.

As peaceful as the islands on which they lived, might were, there was still chaos in the great world and the new structures were hardly able to cope with the situation. Perhaps that was why it had been so surprising for Rosinante to learn that the island Natsu, where they had lived an unthinkably happy life for the past few weeks, was actually not far from the island Rosinante still knew under the name "Marine Ford".

There was apparently even a naval train connecting the neighboring islands Haru and Fuyu with both the Red Line and the Sabaody Archipelago as well as the island with the new name "Kaikkien Maiden".

It was probably true that at least the newspapers did not know where Law was at the moment, but Rosinante had expected Law to seek a greater distance from such events, as the straw hats probably did, who had recently crossed the River’s Mountain, if one were to believe those articles.

However, he also knew that Law had only by chance stayed on this island, because Ninnin's mother had died as the last doctor in the region and Law had sought a job. Nevertheless, he wondered why the four islands had not been able to find someone capable by themselves, especially if one could reach the Sabaody Archipelago within a day trip.

However, the world really no longer seemed to be the place Rosinante knew, and the people of Natsu might felt safer when one of them cared for them and they did their best that both Law and Rosinante felt like they were _one of them._

He glanced down to Law, who was still sleeping peacefully, and wondered how lucky he was to have earned this second chance.

Things were different from what he had imagined back then, but this difference also had it good sides. Rosinante had never seen himself as Law's father, rather a protector – or perhaps a fairy godfather with too many feathers – but perhaps this new form of their relationship as partner on an equal footing was exactly what he needed.

If Rosinante was quite honest, he had often been overwhelmed with Law in the past. He didn't really know how to deal with children and Law clearly hadn't been a normal kid. He did have neither the money nor the knowledge to care for the two of them, no matter his naively good intentions. But now he was no longer alone shouldering this task. Law had the strange habit of forgetting everyday things like sleep or food intake, but he stood firm in life with both legs and for Rosinante, who was more than aware that he was not the right guardian for a child, it was almost lucky that he didn't need to be.

In this quiet silence, never spoken out loud, he was almost grateful that he was sitting here, Law leaning against him. He knew that Law had to go through terrible things, that the world had to go through terrible things just because he hadn't pulled the trigger at that time, but since he couldn't change those things of the past, he had no choice but to be grateful in humbleness for being here and Law squeezing his hand.

He may not had been there when Law had to grow up, but he was here now, and when Law slept so peacefully, it seemed to be almost worth all that had happened.

"I love you, little one," he muttered, allowing himself to put one arm around the other and pull him even closer.

"So, that's it," Rosinante muttered, putting the last box in Law's study.

He had visited the market of the island Haru again today, the last possible day to do the errands that they had not been able to buy during their first visit. Law had wanted to accompany him, but an emergency had prevented him from doing so. That's why Rosinante had left alone, which at least allowed him to pick up a little something he wanted to get for Law without him noticing.

"Cora-san," he heard the other call from the kitchen.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he replied, taking one last look at the sword that lay so innocently on a board on the shelf, and left the room.

Law had been at home before him and had taken the liberty to cook dinner. Among them, Rosinante seemed to be the one who was a little more capable at the stove – to his own surprise – but Law failed in simple things. There were only two dishes he could safely prepare: rice and fish. But even a simple sauce he often burned and his vegetables always tasted quite bland.

Still, Rosinante's heart made a happy jump when he stepped into the open kitchen with dining room and the smell of fried trout greeted him. Law had really surpassed himself this time; in addition to the set-up table – including tablecloth and wine – he had not only tried making a cold bean paste, but also prepared a salad.

"You've been on the road for a long time," Law remarked as he put rice and fish on plates.

"Yes," Rosinante agreed, rubbing his stiff neck before tasting the bean paste and adding some spices, "I came two minutes late and then had to take the next ferry. I'm sorry I made you wait."

"No problem, this way at least I had enough time to cook. Did you get everything from the list?"

He took the plates the other handed him and carried them to the table.

"Pretty much, except for a new tea set and the stool for the bathroom. I wanted one that wasn't quite as low as the current one, but they cost a fortune."

"Cora-san, you know what I..."

"I think I'll ask Mr. Sansan if he can build us one," Rosinante directly interrupted Law's objection, opening the wine bottle while Law brought the rest of the items to the table. “Probably should give him a kidney or something as a deposit for all the things he and his family have done for us. Half of our furniture is from them and without Halhal there would be no wine in our glasses, but rainwater from the roof."

None of them knew much about wine, but on special occasions they opened a bottle, even if Rosinante didn't know why today was special, but everything tasted better than rainwater from the gutter.

"Don't you dare sell your organs, Cora-san," Law scolded him only half-seriously, "they gave us those things and helped us voluntarily. They were very generous, but if you give something voluntarily, you don't usually expect anything in return."

"Don't always take everything so deadly serious, Law. It was a joke," he laughed, leaning forward to pull Law's mouth angle upwards, making the other roll his eyes.

And then they enjoyed their evening. Law narrated what happened at work – Mrs. Paipai seemed thrilled about the idea that Rosinante was looking for a job, and Ninnin was probably quite nervous about her first solo shift on call – and Rosinante about his experiences on Haru.

Over the past week, they had completed almost all the renovations inside the house and by now it really felt like the home they both had wanted to make out of it. Every now and then one or another neighbor and islander had come by, to help or just to chat and slowly Rosinante felt really comfortable here.

Law, too, seemed to enjoy his life more and more. He laughed much more than at the beginning, almost as much as some days when they had travelled together, mostly not loud and expressively like Rosinante, but with each day he seemed happier and more relaxed and that made Rosinante just as happy.

He liked how Law snorted into his wine glass instead of throwing himself back in the chair laughing, and he liked how Law watched him with that soft smile when Rosinante recounted his day. He liked it, when Law said something serious or scolded him with his raised finger, while his eyes sparkled full of mischief. He liked how Law grabbed his hand across the table and held it after they had finished their meal.

"Let's go to the beach for a while," Law said with a smile, "the dishes can wait."

Rosinante couldn't disagree when Law pulled him from the chair and onto the porch. There they left behind shoes and socks, rolled up their trouser and walked down the few stairs.

Hand in hand, they walked along the beach only enlightened by the starlight, laughing and talking, and enjoying this simple, precious closeness. The sand under their feet was cold, but the water was warm, even though Law avoided coming into contact with it more than necessary, and yet he seemed pleased to go for a walk with Rosinante.

They had often planned to go hiking on a day off, but until now they had simply not been able to, even though the forest with the popular hiking routes was right next to their home.

"Ninnin is a fast learner and very ambitious, I think she will soon be able to work more independently, then I will have more free time," Law remarked as they decided to walk back, "then we will finally have more time than just these short evenings."

"I'm looking forward to it," Rosinante confessed, looking out to sea, "I'm looking forward to every moment I can spend with you, Law."

They stopped and Law pulled him down to kiss him. With each passing day, Law had become more confident, and Rosinante did not resist, enjoying the tenderness and love of the other.

"I do have something for you, Law," he whispered as Law caressed his cheek.

He straightened up and pulled a simple white sheet of paper out of his pocket. When he tore it apart and offered Law one half, Rosinante could tell from his widening eyes that he knew, of course, what this paper was.

"I know you're always worried when I'm not in sight. I want to take some of your concern away."

Law took the paper and looked at it in silence.

"And no matter what should happen, with this Vivre Card we will find each other again, no matter what."

Suddenly Law looked up to him.

"Are you planning on leaving?"

Appeasingly, he quickly raised both hands as the other apparently totally misunderstood his gift.

"No, no! But you know, at some point I'll have to go to Sengoku and my brother and who knows where your work might take you and a lot can happen on the Grand Line." He grabbed Law's hand. "But I don't plan on ever leaving you, Law. I'm very happy here with you."

"I'm happy, too." Law pressed Rosinante's hand and snuggled up to him as they continued their way back. "I wish time would stop and we could be this happy forever."

It was rare for Law to neglect his rationality and to prefer daydreaming. It was rare for him to ignore reality. That he did it made Rosinante slightly worried; was he imagining things or was his concern justified?

"We can't change what the future holds for us, but we can chose how we will confront it," Rosinante said as their home waited for them in the distance, "and as long as we are together, we will be able to overcome any crisis."

"Yes, you're right." But Law sounded almost sad, and afterwards they remained silent.

In the light of the stars, Rosinante found it hard to tell if it was just the night or if Law was threatened to be taken back by his shadows. He suspected that their conversation about worry, unpredictability, and insecurity had reminded Law of the past and the people he had lost.

Law rarely talked about such things and Rosinante did not push him, and so he remained silent this time, offered Law the steadiness he needed without demanding anything, because that was what he could do for the other.

Back in the house, Law went to the bathroom for a shower while Rosinante quickly did the dishes before he also got ready for bed in the second bath. He was still thinking about waiting for Law to leave the bathroom, but he suspected that Law would rather have his rest, so he went to his room, turned on the little night light, and changed into his comfortable pajamas.

He had just opened the window to the sea when the door behind him opened.


	12. Chapter 11 - Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> Hope you had a good week and I have not much more to say, but enjoy! ;-)
> 
> See you next friday^^
> 
> P.S.: You might want to look at the end note if you're not much a fan of surprises

Chapter 11 - Moment

Surprised, he turned around.

"Are you okay?" Rosinante asked, slightly confused.

Law stood in the doorframe, his hair still wet from the shower, only wearing the long bathrobe Rosinante had bought him a few weeks ago.

"Do you have a moment, Cora-san? Would you please sit down." Law's almost hoarse voice made him alert, and wary he followed the other's words and settled on the bedside. 

Already during their nightly walk, he had noticed that Law had somehow acted differently, and now it became even clearer as he watched the other rub the tattoos on his forearms.

"Law? What happened?"

As he spoke, the other almost flinched, before looking at him intensely and stepping closer. As he was the one sitting, Rosinante had to look up to the other, who stood right in front of him, and then bent down to kiss him.

This kiss also felt different, more urging, more desperate, not as gentle and timid or warm and tender as usual.

"Law, what is...?"

The other interrupted him again with a deep kiss and this time Rosinante could feel Law’s tongue against his lips.

He leaned back and interrupted their kiss. They had never gone that far before, and Rosinante didn't know if he could. A kiss here, a tenderness there, that was one thing, but never had Law made any advances to go further than that.

"But Law, what...?"

"I know," Law whispered, leaning down to him, putting his forehead against Rosinante’s, "I know you don't love me as I love you, Cora-san, I know."

It hurt how frail the other sounded and how sadly longing he looked at him. It hurt Rosinante incredibly that he couldn't give Law what he seemed to long for the most.

“I don't expect that at all. I don't expect you to ever develop such feelings for me, Cora-san. But today..." He hesitated and Rosinante could feel his breath on his cheeks. "... could you pretend to do so for today, only for today?"

He didn't know what was going on here, but the way Law almost pleaded deeply unsettled him, yet...

"Please, just for today, just for a moment," Law whispered, briefly closing his eyes before putting some distance between them, "you can picture someone else if that would make it..."

"Law," he interrupted the young man he loved so much, but not in this way, "no matter what you demand, I'll never picture anyone else when you stand in front of me."

He could see the tears shimmering in Law's eyes and knew he was going to make the wrong decision again, but how could he fight Law if he looked at him like that?

"Will you tell me why?" Rosinante asked as he decided that he would do anything to make Law happy, that he loved him that much. For a moment, he would ignore the limits he had set himself.

"Not if you’re not asking," Law replied, holding his gaze.

"I'm not asking for anything from you, Law," he whispered, and when Law kissed him this time, he let it happen.

This kiss was different from all previous ones; determined, but gently, Law softly placed his lips on Rosinante’s, drove through his hair with one hand and caressed his neck with the other.

For a moment, his mind wanted to convince him that he shouldn’t do this, that he should not take advantage of Law's feelings for him, that he should not take this step, that he should help Law to solve his fears and traumas in a healthy way and not to suppress them with his feelings for Rosinante, but with every second his resistance weakened.

In the end, he as well was just a man who longed for physical contact and tenderness and had such a hard time trusting other people. In the end, he too had longings for touch and intimacy that he could not ignore.

This time, he agreed to Law's deep kiss and allowed Law to get even closer to him. He closed his eyes, allowed Law to do what he wanted, allowed himself to feel what his body had longed for a long time.

He barely noticed Law unbuttoning his pajamas and pulling them to the side, barely realizing how Law pushed him down to the bed. All he noticed were Law's long-limbed fingers on his body, those rough yet gentle lips on his.

His body trembled under the tender touches of the other.

After intense seconds, Law allowed him to gasp for air while his hands brushed over Rosinante's chest, before Law kissed him on ear, neck, and finally collarbone, with his teeth slightly scraping his skin.

Rosinante whispered the other's name as Law continued to explore his body, loving every little scar.

His eyes fluttered and Rosinante saw only the simple ceiling above him while his hands grasped for Law's shoulders, hair, something to hold onto, dug into fabric, hair, and skin.

"Relax, Cora-san," Law whispered, licking his left breast, while fingers glided over navel and loins, "let me spoil you."

He was hardly able to wheeze in agreement. His experience in this field was limited to the longgone days of training as a soldier, but every touch of the other chased a pleasant shiver down his neck and Law apparently knew exactly what he was doing.

Even if Rosinante had still wanted to, at the latest now he wasn’t able to resist Law any longer, while the only thing that he could still feel were Law's lips on his stomach and his hands on his thighs.

His skin seemed electrified under Law's fingers, and although Rosinante barely moved, barely more than trembled under each touch, he breathed quickly and heavily.

His muscles stretched and tensed up and it took him a lot of effort to sit up while Law didn't let go of him for even a second.

For the first time, Rosinante took the initiative and pulled the other up again, kissing Law, rubbing his tongue over his lips, slipping his hands under Law's bathrobe and over his shoulders, these deep eyes sometimes absorbing, sometimes closed.

Law then broke away from him, brushing down Rosinante's torso with one hand, over the navel and down his pajamas.

"Law," he trembled with arousal and barely able to grasp a clear thought while the other freed him from his pants and underpants.

The next moment Law kissed him again, burying his hands in Rosinante's hair as he as well brushed his hands around the other's muscular body.

Law knelt in front of him, his knees to Rosinante's left and right on the bed. Now they were exactly on par, and Rosinante knew that these eyes had never looked at him this way before, and swearing on everything that was holy for him, this look was enough to diminish the very last doubts.

He wanted this, he wanted to be as close to Law as no one else, he wanted to feel him like no one else.

It was true that he did not have the same feelings as Law, but at that very moment Rosinante wanted to believe that they were the same. For that moment he wanted to believe that he would never regret it, and for that one moment he almost didn't care, even if.

"I want to feel you," Law whispered in his ear, caressing his cheek, "I want to feel you deep within me."

Law's chest rubbed against his, his feet on his thighs.

"But Law...," he tried a weak objection, which Law immediately put down with a quick kiss.

"Don't worry, Cora-san." He licked his lips and looked at him with his fiery, deep eyes. "I am prepared."

Again Law kissed him, held his hair with one hand and grabbed him with the other. Law then loosened his other hand and appeared to reach for something in the pockets of his bathrobe, but Rosinante could barely focus when Law kissed him again.

He quivered when Law grabbed his member with both hands and rubbed it with a cool liquid. Breathing heavily, he held onto Law and closed his eyes for a brief moment.

Rosinante almost stopped breathing and then he couldn't help but groan loudly. All he could see were Law's closed eyes and his open mouth. All he could hear were his own and Law's quick breath, their panting, whispered words. All he could feel was Law, just Law, every movement, every touch, every feeling, every sensation was Law.

He held the other, held him close, thought he could feel his heartbeat, could feel him breathing against the curve of his neck, fingernails digging into his shoulder.

It was impossible for him to close his eyes. He had to watch Law, drops of sweat gliding down his temples, his eyes closed and licking his lips, his Adam's apple moving with each breath, each muscle stretching every single second, every tiny hair seemingly electrified.

Never before had Rosinante been aware of how perfect Law was, with his messy black hair, his golden earrings, those black lines on his torso that Rosinante had never seen before.

It was precisely at this moment, when sensuality and passion filled all his senses, that he noticed how much more Law was.

His head wanted to give wise insights, but all he really could do was enjoy this moment of unbridled devotion.

For that moment, he knew Law was everything in his life that mattered.

With tired eyes, he looked at the ceiling above him.

In the warm rays of the rising sun, he could see every single furrow in the beams, which watched over him like witnesses of time.

A slight movement distracted him.

Law next to him rolled to the side and turned his face towards him, still peacefully dormant. He still held Rosinante's hand, as he had done when they had fallen asleep, somewhat a few hours ago.

Above the blanket, Rosinante could see the upper lines of Law's chest tattoo, which he had not noted before this night, but he had lacked the opportunity to regard it more closely during the heat of the moment. Quietly, he had to admit that Law could wear tattoos well.

He didn't know exactly why Law had come to him the previous night, didn't know what the trigger had been, but now he slept peacefully next to him and nothing seemed to wake him up. Rosinante wondered if Law always slept so badly because he was usually alone.

Reason already wanted to give himself a bad conscience, but he did not know whether it had really been a mistake not to dismiss Law, not if he seemed so satisfied right now.

He also had to admit that the last night had been... _good_ would be a sad understatement. Maybe it was because they were so familiar with each other or Law just knew exactly what he was doing, but Rosinante couldn't remember ever having had such an experience. However, his last few times had happened some years ago – not to mention the missing 17 years – and he was never quite objective when it came to Law.

At this moment Law sighed in his sleep and Rosinante decided that no matter what the night would have for consequences, it hadn't been a mistake. Law had found with him for this one moment what he had needed and Rosinante himself had had an unforgettable night.

After a few more quiet minutes, he decided to let Law sleep and let Mrs. Paipai know that the other would come to work later than usually.

It took him surprisingly long to loosen Law's grip around his hand, then he covered the other one well and left the room as quietly as he could, but of course hitting the edge of the bed with his little toe.

Quietly swearing, his first way led him to the bathroom and a glance in the mirror revealed to him that it would be hard to hide all traces of the past night on a summer island like Natsu.

On the other hand, he was pretty much the same as what the villagers thought about his relationship with Law and presumably, they already believed that Law and he were a couple. Rosinante himself didn't really know what they were, he had never put a name on their relationship.

In Law's study, he used the old transponder snail to call in the practice, where Mrs. Paipai was probably already doing paperwork for the last hour or so. Then he decided to make breakfast, one of the meals Law forgot in almost casual regularity.

Outside on the railing of the veranda, meanwhile, a seagull with a newspaper landed and waited for its wages.

100 Berry - 100 Berry! It used to cost just 60; this was almost twice as much! - later Rosinante sat on the steps leading down to the sea, his morning cigarette in one hand and the newspaper in the other.

There were still many articles that he didn't understand because he lacked the necessary context, but that didn't stop him from reading them every morning, and today he knew why.

_"Budda" Sengoku is back – former Fleet Admiral takes on advisory position of the NA_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay not even sure, if this here is needed, but I tell you I was kind of nervous posting this...  
> So if there are any aces or other sex repulsed people out there reading, you might wanna skip the first part of the chapter (there is space between the two different scenes, you will note it by simply scrolling). It's nothing graphic or anything (I was actually told it's teen or mayne mature), but as some people appreciate a quick headsup about gore or other stuff I feel better leaving this little note here^^' 
> 
> That's now really all from me, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it and see you next week ;-)


	13. Chapter 12 - Sea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> I had a really busy and productive day, so I do not have a lot of time left, so without any further words, here's the new chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it^^
> 
> See you next week and thank you for your support!

Chapter 12 - Sea

"Good morning, Cora-san."

He looked up as Law stood behind him, a cup of coffee in his hand and a warm smile on his lips.

"Good morning, Law," he replied, almost nervous about the awaiting conversation, as Law joined him, briefly kissing him and then leaning against the porch railing.

“I was surprised when I woke up and you weren't in bed anymore. Couldn't sleep?" Law asked softly without the scolding undertone that was often present.

"The morning sun woke me," Rosinante confessed, "and I wanted to let you sleep; you seemed so peaceful. But I informed Mrs. Paipai that you will come in later."

"Ah, thank you for that," Law said, putting a hand on his shoulder as a sign that he should slip a little to the side so Law could sit next to him, "I had actually forgotten about that for a moment."

As Law sat next to him on the stairhead, snuggled tightly against him, because the steps were actually too narrow for two people, Rosinante looked out to sea and knew he had to address the previous night.

"Listen, Law," he began unwell, "about yesterday..."

"I'm sorry, Cora-san," Law interrupted him, also staring into the distance, "it was my fault. I know how you feel and yet I have imposed myself on you and..."

"Law, you don't need to apologize, if I had not wanted to do it, I would have told you so."

The other looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

"So it wasn’t unpleasant for you?"

Rosinante laughed and leaned back. Memories of the previous night flooded his brain and he got goosebumps.

"Oh no, certainly not," he smiled, "of course I have my doubts about our feelings and because I don't want to hurt you. But I have to admit, you really know what you're doing."

Law, too, grinned for a moment before he got serious again, hiding his mouth and chin behind his folded hands and looking back at the sea.

"I don't want to hurt you either, Cora-san. Even if you liked it, it was wrong of me and I..."

Rosinante sighed softly and placed a hand on Law's knee.

“You know, no matter how many times I told myself yesterday to stop you, that it couldn't be healthy to suppress your fears with sex, that it was wrong, despite all that it felt right.” He looked at the other. "Even now, I am well aware that things are more complicated than we like them to be, yet I do not regret it. I love you, Law, and I don't regret what happened that night, so don't blame yourself."

Law just nodded and leaned his head against Rosinante's upper arm.

"Again, you're the adult of both of us," he muttered wistfully.

Rosinante accepted it with a quiet laugh.

"Well, recalling yesterday, you're clearly the more grownup of the two of us, or at least the more experienced one."

Now Law laughed.

"Most of it was a bluff. I told you I'm a doctor, I know very well to hide my own insecurity."

For a moment they remained silent, then Law emptied his coffee empty and reached for the newspaper.

Rosinante leaned his tired head against the railing next to him and enjoyed the fresh sea air.

"Sengoku will take on an advisory role at the Nation Association," he said, watching the sea.

"Finally," Law murmured absently as he flipped a page, "I told him after the war that the world would now need minds like his, but apparently it took them those last two years to finally convince him."

"You wanted him to be part of the change? But he was Fleet Admiral of the overthrown government."

Law shrugged.

"He may have been once commander of the executive, but after Marine Ford he abdicated and devoted himself to train others. On both sides, he has many supporters because of his strong sense of justice and his clear morality. He will be a good intermediary between the fronts and his age will give him respect that many of the younger ones lack."

Rosinante looked at Law from the corner of his eye.

"You seem to have been thinking a lot about it."

Again, Law shrugged.

"I was one of those who destroyed the old order. I should at least bear some of my responsibility."

"Is that why you were looking for a place so close to Kaikkien Maiden?"

Now Law looked at him.

"I said it was a coincidence."

This time, Rosinante shrugged, leaned forward, and placed his elbows on his thighs. He stared at his folded hands and expressed his thoughts aloud: "If Sengoku really comes to the Nation Association soon, he will live barely a day's trip away. You know he's like a father to me and you've used your influence to give him a position there. I also recall that in the past, the ocean current Tara allowed you to travel back and forth between Marine Ford and Impel Down in a very short time, where my brother is being held captive. Do you really want to tell me that all this is a coincidence?"

Law snorted lightly.

"You really shouldn't be underestimated, Cora-san."

"Oh, please, a toddler could have figured that out."

The other nodded swiftly.

“It's not that I've planned all of this, but things have developed favorably, and I've just used it to my advantage. I knew from the beginning that sooner or later you would face your past and so I have at least a small chance that you will come back."

"So, you still doubt me."

Law stared at him, but Rosinante looked at the leisurely waves.

"I thought I was clear enough that I don't ever want to leave you, Law. It's true that I have to face my past and my brother and it's true that I want to see Sengoku again, but I always assumed that you would accompany me." He smiled at Law's open mouth and his perplexed facial expression. "Maybe it was a bit naive of me to just wordlessly expect that."

The other remained silent and looked at the newspaper in his hands again.

"Last night by the sea," Law finally said, "when we talked about the uncertainty of the future and you gave me the Vivre Card, I got scared."

He bit his lower lip and looked up to the sky, well aware of Rosinante's gaze.

"Of course, I also realize that it can't stay the way it is forever. But every day is a gift and I don't want things to change. I don't want you to leave me."

"I don't plan to leave you, Law," he replied, putting his hand back on Law's knee. "Even if things change, I won't leave you."

"I know," Law muttered, and finally looked at him, "but I'm afraid that when the world learns from your survival that you have no choice, and now with Sengoku back within reach, it's going to happen faster than I expected."

“He's not there yet, Law, and I don't have to leave just yet.” Awkwardly, he rose and accidentally slipped off with one foot. Just in time, he was able to hold on to the railing and stumbled down the stairs, where he finally secured his stand before offering Law a hand. "Now come on, let's start the day. Mrs. Paipai is certainly worried about where you are and I wanted to get the new stool for the bath from Mr. Sansan today. By the way, I'm going to take some money with me, he said it was a gift, but enough is enough."

Law got up and then put both arms around Rosinante's neck, interrupting his chatter with a barely perceptible smile. Because of the few steps between them, Law was now able to kiss him without Rosinante having to bend down as usual.

"I love you, Cora-san," Law whispered in his ear, brushing through his hair.

"I know, and now you have to go, you're late."

He watched Law wave briefly and then disappear into the house.

Now he understood why Law had come to his room yesterday. His fear of losing Rosinante soon and unexpectedly was still greater than his confidence in the both of them.

Sighing, he followed the other into the house. Even if he really longed to see his superior and mentor again, he would have to wait for it. He knew that a word would suffice, and Law would let him go, even accompany him at his request, but even though Rosinante felt like he was slowly getting ready, he knew that Law had 17 long years more to process, so he would give him the time Law needed.

Law was also right: every day on this island was a gift and Rosinante would enjoy every single one at Law's side.

"Oh, come one! It can't be that hard!" Frustrated, he hit the surface of the water, which retaliated with salty splashes in his face.

"I've told you before that it's easier with someone to help you," Law shouted from the porch's stairs, lowering his gaze back to the newspaper in his hand. "It is also dangerous to go into the sea alone as a novice swimmer." 

"Please, Law. It can't be that hard, and we still have a lot of time before the fall of tide."

“But you're aware that if something happens, I can't do anything. My abilities are not half as effective in the water and I can't swim."

Eye-rolling, he turned to the other.

"Therefore the rope," he murmured, pointing to the thick rope he had tied around his chest, whose other end was attached to the railing of the porch, right next to Law, who read unbelievably exaggeratedly disinterested the newspaper, obviously concerned. "It bothers me a lot more than it helps."

"And again," Law snorted, looking up again, "if you drown or the rope breaks, I'm not going to be able to do anything. I can't swim, Cora-san.”

Stretching his shoulders, Rosinante went back into the starting position and swam off.

"Why do you think I want to learn it so badly," he murmured quietly to himself as he gave it another try.

Like the previous times, the first few moves were quite safe and yet he began to sink more and more, as if the power of the devil fruit was still pulling him down, even though he had lost his ability. Like any previous attempt, this one was fruitless as well, even though Rosinante had done everything in his power to prepare well.

It was probably true that he should get help, but somehow he didn't want to. He was an experienced soldier, Marine and spy, he would not fail at a child's task.

"Ninnin is an excellent swimmer and she would certainly love to help you. I could call her," Law offered.

"Let the poor girl enjoy her day off," Rosinante disagreed, promptly swallowing seawater.

"I wish we would enjoy our day off," Law replied, standing up and stepping to the shore. "I can really imagine better things than watching you drown."

Unnerved, Rosinante sighed and straightened up again to face Law. The other was unusually irritated. Rosiante suspected that it had something to do with the fact that since recently they closed the practice one day a week and Law and Ninnin took turns on call. Today was Ninnin's first day when she would be on her own and would only call Law when it was a matter of life or death.

Of course, Law was tense, but he channeled that tension into even more concern for Rosinante, as if he wasn't already wracking his brain enough about him.

Law’s concern was absolutely unfounded. It was a warm summer day, like every other before, and except for a lukewarm breeze and a few larger clouds at the horizon, the sky was clear and the sea calm.

“I'm not going to drown and if it makes you so nervous, go and distract yourself. I will learn to swim today!" He decided, continued to look at the other seriously and crossed his arms.

"And who should pull you out in case something happens?" Law replied, not in the least impressed.

"Nothing is going to happen, Law. I stand in waist-deep water and the beach is just..."

"Even better swimmers have drowned, Cora-san, and..."

He interrupted the other with a hand movement and then folded his arms: "And what? It’s a common risk to drown while swimming, I know. But living this close to the sea and not even trying to learn is, has nothing to do with common risk, that’s just stupid. Do you really think that...?"

"Cora-san, come out of the water!"

"Law, listen to me, there’s no need for you to treat me like a little..."

"I said you should get out of the water...!"

"And I told you... Oh, damn it!"

“Cora-san!”

The next moment, a huge wave chased over his shoulders and knocked him over.

For a moment there was nothing but water, he was gasping for air, but there was none, his hands reached for something to hold onto, but there was nothing, the salt burned in his eyes as he tried to figure out where was up and where was down. Then suddenly he could feel the pulling of the rope below his chest. After a moment of eternity he felt ground under his feet again and broke through the surface coughing, as the salty seawater roughened his throat.

"Cora-san!" He could hear Law roaring loudly as the remnants of the wave clashed against his belly, almost making him fall again

Barely a breath later, the next wave chased over his shoulders, but this time he was better prepared – or perhaps this wave was not as strong as the first – and remained in an upright position, bracing his shoulders, as the water tore away the sand under his feet, pushing him towards the beach first and then pulling him back, away from land and safety. Even though he struggled he felt like he was getting further and further away instead of closer.

Suddenly, he was jerked to a halt and his gaze fell on Law, who held the rope firmly in both hands and waded knee-deep into the sea.

“Cora-san!”

"What the hell are you doing?" Rosinante yelled, daring a few steps forward as the next wave crashed against him, which also seemed slightly weaker than the previous one. "Go back to the beach! You can't swim!"

"You neither!" Law shouted as the third wave swept his thighs, making him shudder, but he kept pulling at the rope, kept pulling Rosinante closer.

"But I have no devil powers!" After the shock of the first wave, Rosinante had comprehended the situation and rushed towards Law, fighting for each step as Law kept pulling and coming closer.

The water receded between Rosinante’s legs and he knew that the next wave would soon come, but presumably it would not be stronger than the last one. Due to his height, he was able to withstand the waves better, as well as...

"Cora-san, hurry!" Law still moved towards him, his face painfully distorted, a hand reaching for him, just a few armlengths between them. His eyes told Rosinante that his was probably wrong.

Without even glancing over his shoulder, he rushed on, able to step much easier now that he wasn’t in as deep as before, but the ground under his feet gave in like quicksand. What was when he wouldn’t make it in time?

There was no time to worry, he huffed as Law pulled harder on his rope and then he started running, reached Law, pulled him close and waded further towards the beach.

But he wasn’t even able to make two steps as the next wave washed over them. Although he was barely a metre in the water, the wave ripped him off his feet, but this time Rosinante did not allow himself to become disoriented as he pressed Law with one hand against his chest and targeted the ground in front of him with the other hand.

Sand escaped his fingers as the wave threatened to pull him back, but his feet regained hold as they dug deep into the soft ground and he fought the suction while the rope around his torso was pulled along and gave him even more resistance. He could hear Law coughing loudly and then saying something to him, but he couldn't understand what.

Not wasting another moment he walked on, with each step leaving the water more behind, sinking in less, and finally he reached the beach, heavily breathing, just in time before another wave splashed against his knees, still high enough to even reach the stairs of the porch.

Few steps later he allowed himself to let go of Law and placed him on top of the stairs, who leaned against the railing and struggled for air, coughing and spitting out water.

Now Rosinante turned around as another wave clashed against his lower legs.

The clouds, which had been far away few seconds ago, had now almost reached the island and the once calm sea was now dominated by meter-high waves.

"A storm," he muttered, still perplex by what had just happened, "so suddenly and with such high waves?"

"Well, that's the Grand Line for you," Law murmured behind him, still coughing. "Even a peaceful summer island can have its dangers."

The waves seemed to be getting higher and higher.

"We should go inside," Rosinante said, turning away from the sea, "I don't think the waves will be high enough to endanger the house – at least I haven't seen anything to suggest such a high level during the renovation – but the beach will certainly be flooded within the next few minutes."

He looked up to heaven.

"In addition, it will probably start to rain soon."

With one hand, he pulled Law up, then loosened the rope around his torso, and followed Law up the few steps up to the inside of their home. Within seconds, the air seemed to get fresher and wilder.

It was the first storm he would experience on Natsu. 


	14. Chapter 13 - Bathroom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody,
> 
> yes I know, I'm a little bit late (I'm sorry), but I was really busy, had to work overhours on friday, then wrote my practise exam this morning (five hours of my life I will never get back...) and then I had to work up what I couldn't do yesterday evening, so yes, I'm somewhat late, sorry.
> 
> But I was still determined to post today, so here you go, I hope you have fun with this chapter
> 
> Greetings ;-) 
> 
> P.S.: See you next weekend^^

Chapter 13 - Bathroom

"We should take a shower," Law grumbled as Rosinante closed the door to the porch and watched the approaching storm for a moment, "I'm sandy and wet, and you don't look much better."

He followed Law to the big bathroom, where the other took off his wet shoes. A quiet drizzle on top of the roof told them that the rain had set in.

"We got inside just in time," Rosinante muttered, ruffling through his sandy hair.

"Undress and sit down," Law replied only roughly, obviously upset.

Rosinante knew full well that it was unwise to argue with Law if he was in such a mood, so he took off his swimming trunks and sat on the wooden stool he had bought from Mr. Sansan the previous day. It felt a little bit peculiar for him not to even wear a towel around his hips, but it wasn't as if Law hadn't already explored every part of his body, with more than just his eyes.

The other stepped behind him, turned on the water and began to rinse him off. Only now did Rosinante notice the slight burning of the bruise from the rope that had been tied around his chest.

"That was naive of you," Law began, as expected, his scolding, "naive and reckless. As a novice to go into the sea on your own, just before a storm..."

"Oh, come on," he murmured, trying to turn around, but Law held his shoulder with a determined hand, "you didn't know either that a storm was coming. It's the Grand Line, things like that happen, but we both didn't know that such a storm on Natsu is possible that quickly, so don't act this..."

"That doesn't change the fact that it was naive of you to just go that deep into the water without an experienced swimmer by your side," Law interrupted him again, shampooing his hair with clearly too powerful movements, "you could have drowned, damn it, even without this storm. Every idiot knows how dangerous the sea can be and you..."

"If I was naive, then you were downright stupid!" Now he rose and turned towards Law, who met his gaze unimpressed. "It may have been naive of me to think that I would learn how to swim on my own, but it was just stupid of you to see these waves and still run towards the sea."

Law turned off the water and wanted to reply, but Rosinante continued to speak, unwilling to be scolded like a small child.

“I'm tall, I'm strong, I could fight the waves, and I had a damn rope around my stomach that you'd just have to pull on to get me into safety without putting yourself in danger. What I did might have been naive, and yes, I didn't expect the storm to happen, but you put us both in danger when you ran towards me. If the wave had reached you before I could, it would have dragged you into the sea and then _I_ couldn't have done anything because I can't swim yet. So be as angry as you want, but at least I've taken safety precautions while you've just walked blindly into your perdition."

He rarely showed this side of himself.

It was true that Rosinante was rather a good-natured, good-humored person. Despite, or perhaps because of his past, he liked to hold onto the lightness of life and not let his smile be scared off. He had experienced himself how it felt if someone spread only hatred and misery, so he always wanted to be someone who brought love and happiness to the hearts and smiles and laughter on the faces of others.

But that didn't mean he was simple minded. He had consciously chosen to be a cheerful person, but that did not mean that he could not be serious. He had consciously chosen to solve most situations with a little humor and a grin, but that didn't mean there were no moments that even he couldn't laugh at.

He seldom showed that to Law, the serious, brooding Law, who laughed and dreamed far too little, but...

"You know, you're not the only one here who loves someone and is constantly worried. You're not the only one who's afraid of losing someone. I may be clumsy and naive, but I can assure you that I never put my life willingly at risk."

Law withstood his gaze, but his face was expressionless.

"You may be more thoughtful and careful than I am, but you neglect yourself all the time and even if you don't care, I do and today I almost lost you because you acted carelessly and I couldn't have saved you."

"But Cora-san, I..."

"Don't you see why I want to learn to swim so badly?" He interrupted the other and slapped his fist against his bare thigh. "Don't you realize that I'm doing this mainly to save you, should you ever fall into the sea?"

Law's eyes widened and he didn't even try to reply.

“I may be a capable fighter, Law, but I'm not stupid. With your strength and your experience, you are undoubtedly superior to me. I can't protect you and I don't even need to and I'm grateful for that. But I've lost my devil power and now I think that might have happened so I got the opportunity to take care of you in the one thing you can't care of yourself.”

He took a deep breath.

"I like the sea, but not so much that I really have to learn how to swim in a storm. For God’s sake, half the pirates and soldiers I know cannot swim. But the idea that you're drowning because I can't swim..." He took another deep breath and then looked away as his lower lip began to tremble.

"Cora-san, I..." Law began much more gently than before, but Rosinante interrupted him with a hand motion before looking at the other again.

"I know I'm the one who left you alone, Law. I am the one who promised you that everything would go well, and it did not. I'm sorry. But every day I try to make up for it by valuing and respecting the life you have given me. I may be scatty, but I'm taking care of myself. You, on the other hand..." He shook his head. "You told me that you once almost wished you had fallen in the Great War, but that you didn't want to just throw away the life I had protected."

Law nodded only vaguely and looked at him again so expressionlessly.

"Then why do you still live as if you don't care if you die today or tomorrow?"

"I don't do that," Law said. "In case you haven’t notice, I've built a home with you. I run a practice and we even have friends in..."

"You don't sleep enough."

"What? What does that have...?"

"And you forget to eat all the time. You work far too much and never take a break when you're exhausted. You rarely say when something is too much for you and never ask for help. You neglect yourself and ignore your own needs. And today you almost died because you..."

"I wanted to save you!" Law approached him and slightly hit his chest. "I thought you were drowning and wanted to..."

"No!" He bent down to the other so they were at eye level. "If you had wanted to save me, you would have pulled on the fucking rope or tried to get me out of the water with your abilities. No, you rushed into the salt water like a madman, even though you knew what the consequences would be for you, even though you knew you couldn't do anything in the water."

"I didn't think straight," Law roared, pushing him away slightly and taking a step back. "Damn it, Cora-san, I thought you were going to die! I didn't think about what would make sense, I just ran. I've lost you before, do you think I could do this a second time?!"

For a moment he just looked at the other, then Rosinante slightly tilted his head and nodded.

"And do you think I could lose you?" He replied calmly.

“What?”

"In all your wise and rational thoughts, have you ever wondered what I would feel if I would lose you? Have you ever wondered what I must have thought, the moment you ran towards me? Can you imagine how afraid I had been of losing you? Knowing that I was barely able to help myself, but would be without chance if a wave would reach you? You know what it feels like to lose me, Law. I don't, but I know what it feels like to almost lose you, believe me I know that pretty damn well, and every damn time the fear and pain gets worse."

Finally, an emotion crept over this calm face; disbelief was reflected in these deep eyes.

"You once asked me what a life is worth, Law, and I told you that everyone can only decide that for themselves. I told you that I would give my life for yours at any time, but why do you think I would do so?"

Now Law's lower jaw trembled and he turned his gaze away, rubbed over the tattoos on his forearm, biting his lower lip.

"I have no idea what a life is worth, Law. But I know full well that without you, mine is worth nothing."

Tears ran down Law's face and he shook his head.

"So please, for my sake, don't be so careless with yourself."

He walked towards the other and put a hand on his cheek. Hesitantly, Law looked up, unable to contain his tears.

"I know you find it hard to believe, Law, but as important as I am to you, you are to me, perhaps many times more, because I have experienced you in your terrible twos." He smiled and Law snorted briefly. "Everything you don't want to happen to me, I don't want to happen to you. As much as you want to avoid me being sad, I want to avoid you being sad, do you understand that?"

Law bit his lower lip again and nodded while Rosinante wiped away a tear.

"And nothing would make me sadder than losing you, okay?"

Now Law cried even more, nodded, and looked to the ground, shaking like he was about to collapse.

"Okay," Rosinante whispered, pressing the other against his chest, one hand in his sandy hair, the other arm placed around his shoulders. "I love you, little one, and I don't want anything to ever happen to you. I want you to live a happy, joyful, long life."

Law's shoulders shivered and he clawed into Rosinante's back. Smiling, he patted Law's head. It seemed as if he had really reached the other for the first time.

He went on his knees to look up to the other and shoved his hands away, as Law tried to cover his face like a small child.

“And I want you to eat decent meals. You always have far too few vegetables on your plate, and that as a doctor."

Law nodded and sobbed barely audibly.

"Look at me, Law." When the other responded to his request, he showed him the greatest grin he could offer. "And I want you to go through life smiling."

Law took a deep breath, looked up at the ceiling, and then nodded slowly. He briefly closed his eyes, but when he opened them, there was a trembling smile on his face.

"Just like that," Rosinante praised, brushing the other's tearstained cheek.

"I love you, Cora-san," Law whispered in a broken voice, "and I was so afraid I could lose you."

"I know," he replied, pulling Law back to the floor in a hug. "I was scared as well."

Then he got up and pulled the other to his feet.

"Come on, I still have foam in my hair, like this I can't get into the bathtub." With a smile, he settled down on the stool while Law turned the water back on.

"I think I'll ask Ninnin if she could teach me how to swim," he said, consciously carefree as Law continued to wash his hair.

His head leaned back and his eyes closed, he enjoyed the warm water and the drizzle of rain above him, as his own heart calmed down again. Sometimes he forgot, as grown-up and wise Law had already been as a child, he was still inexperienced when it came to feelings.

"I'd be happy about that," muttered Law, whose voice sounded more composed than Rosinante had expected, "I can ask her tomorrow if you want."

"Yes, that would be very nice of you, Law."

"Although she'll probably call me today in this storm as soon as the first emergencies come in," the other said with a dissatisfied undertone.

"Oh, I don't think so," Rosinante waved off, and began to soap his body. "Unlike us, the islanders probably know that a few clouds on the horizon mean that a storm is coming soon and are making preparations. Mrs. Paipai will scold us if we do something this stupid again."

Law grumbled something approving, handed Rosinante the showerhead and began to undress behind him.

"So, I'm done, now it's your turn," Rosinante said, still consciously in a happy mood, and stood up, but then he forgot his smile.

Law was facing him with nothing on but his underpants and for the first time Rosinante was able to take an actual look at the other's chest tattoo. He had already noticed it the evening Law had come to his room, but although he had admired the elegant lines, he had not been able to realize what they meant, there had been no time for such thoughts in the heat of the moment.

The other stood in front of him, not even blinking, a strange facial expression Rosinante could not read.

He took a step forward and touched the black lines, retraced the heart on Law’s chest and remained over the skull, which probably represented Law's Jolly Roger.

"On Minion," Law finally said in a hoarse voice, "after you left to get the Op-Op fruit, I was freezing like hell. I clutched the blanket tight, but my body was shaking, and I thought my teeth would burst, as much as they were chattering."

Rosinante got cold while Law looked away and slowly embraced himself.

"Then I imagined that you would carry me back to safety in your warm arms and I was no longer cold." Law hesitated. "When you came back, your hands were like ice and you weren't well and yet I was warm when you were with me."

Law was shaking all over his body, it obviously hurt him to talk about it, it seemed to cause him almost physical pain.

"Law, you don't have to..."

"After that, I was always cold," Law continued, shaking his head, rubbing his forearms. "I was always cold, my hands were always cold, I couldn't sleep, it was always too cold. Then I always imagined that you would hold me in your arms again, and the cold passed. I imagined you holding me, and I was getting warm, I could fall asleep."

Law looked up slowly, rarely were his eyes as clear and open as now.

"From then on, I kept imagining that you would hug me, but as I got older, my memories started to fade. I didn't know what it felt like to be hugged by you, I didn't know how you smelled anymore, even your voice I forgot." A single tear ran down his face. "I wanted to avoid forgetting even more, forgetting your smile. I wanted to feel your hugs again, not just remember how you had hugged me as a child, but how you would hug me as a man."

Law then turned away.

"But that wasn't possible, I knew I was... I didn't know if you would ever embrace me again, so..." He shrugged. "This should be the reminder that you had never let me go, that even if I was cold, you would be with me until the end."

Suddenly Law looked at him and a faint smile lit up his features.

"Oh, Cora-san. I'm sorry, I should not have..."

"It’s fine," he interrupted the others, rubbing his tears away, "I'm sorry, Law, I'm so sorry."

He pulled the other into a firm embrace.

"I will never let you go again, I will..."

"It’s okay, Cora-san." Law patted him on the shoulder. "But now you're getting dirty again."

"I don't care."

Law's fingers combed through his hair while Rosinante couldn't stop crying.

"Thank you for telling me," he whispered in Law's neck.

"Thank you for not asking."

He looked at the other, stroked his cheek, and took a step back to take a better look at him. But he stepped on the soap, and every elegant response he had intended to give ended in a surprise outcry as he crashed to the ground in his birthday suit.


	15. Chapter 14 - Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> I hope everybody is having a great week^^ mine has been busy as usual but I've been able to do somewhat more sport which is great (my body is killing me tbh, but hey I'm glad I can be a little bit more active again^^')
> 
> Have fun with the new chapter and see you next week ;-)
> 
> Sharry

Chapter 14 - Storm

"Oh, there’s something else I wanted to tell you," he muttered with his eyes closed as Law rubbed his hair dry, "you remember when I picked up the stool at Sansan’s yesterday?"

"Hmm," Law muttered behind him approvingly.

Rosinante stretched out his legs and leaned against Law's knee. Law sat on the sofa that Rosinante had taken home a few weeks ago with Halhal, the daughter of carpenter Sansan. In front of them were only the walls of glass and behind them a storm, which they had never seen on this island.

"He offered me a job."

"What? Why haven't you told me earlier?"

"You were in your study," he replied, leaning back even further to look up to the other.

"I was just reading."

"You could have done that here as well. Closed door at the study means _no access_ and you read half the night."

Law dropped the towel on Rosinante's face.

"You set up this stupid rule. I never said you shouldn't bother me in the study.”

Laughing, he leaned forward and stood up.

"And risk your wrath? Oh no, a week of glaring was enough for me. You're sooo resentful, Law, do you know that?"

The other raised only one eyebrow.

“I've been chasing your brother for 13 years, _resentful_ doesn't even get close to it. But back to topic: Sansan offered you a job, what kind of job?"

"As a loading master," he replied, and walked over to the kitchen, where a small box of dried salty plums was waiting for him. Next to it were his cigarettes.

“What?”

"Yes, Sansan's family is very big in timber trade. His brother runs a wood processing factory further inland, but Sansan moved his carpentry to the port a few years ago when his aunt became too old for it. Sansan has supervised loading and unloading the ships in addition to his normal work, but he doesn't like doing it."

"And he thought of you?" Law also got up and walked over to the window.

"Mrs. Paipai probably told him that I wanted to make myself useful and he mentioned that I had impressed him during the renovations, how I structured everything and worked with the neighbors. He said it was rare for someone to instruct and delegate while at the same time mucking in as well. I also think he was flattered that we took almost all of our furniture from him."

"Well, it's understandable that he can't do two jobs at once," Law agreed. "Loading master is not an easy profession and you have a lot of responsibility. As person in charge does not only need to have a good leadership and work ethic, but also a good sense of negotiation and a calm head even in stressful situations. He has a good eye; he couldn't find somebody better suited than you."

"Thank you for the flowers," Rosinante laughed, walking back to the sofa while Law watched the rain, "but I have absolutely no experience in that field. I've never done honest work and I have no idea about wood."

Law shrugged. "Didn't you have subordinates both as a Marine and in your time as a pirate?"

"Yes, but..."

"And haven't you conducted much of the negotiations in your brother’s name, even though you were supposedly mute?"

"But Law, that was…”

“And weren't you the one who fought with every doctor on the Grand Line because you knew you were right and they were wrong?”

"Law, what's your point?" Shaking his head, he lit one of his cigarettes.

The other came over to him again.

“I just think Sansan could not have found a more suitable person in charge. Of course, he will have to guide you at first and teach you what you need to know. But you are sincere, loyal, hard-working, and treat every person with respect. Besides, you are a tough negotiator, and no one will question your authority." Law bent down and stubbed out his cigarette before Rosinante could even take his first draft. "But we had about this. No cigarettes in the house; if you want to smoke, go outside."

"Hey!" he replied, stunned. "It’s raining buckets. I could be blown away. I also need one to recover from this morning's shock."

“Your addiction isn't my problem and if you'd needed one so badly you could have smoked during your hours-long bath where I wouldn't have noticed.”

Law took away cigarette and lighter and carried them back to the counter.

"So, what do you think?" Rosinante muttered earnestly again, not really mad or in the mood to fight. "Do you think I should accept?"

"You have to decide that," Law replied, sitting down next to him, leaning his head against Rosinante's upper arm. "I think you'd be great for this job, but whether you like it and you really want to do it, I think only you can know that."

Rosinante remained silent and looked at his hand, held tightly by Law, saw the small tattoos on the back of Law’s hand and fingers.

"How many days a week are we even talking about?" Law asked.

"Between two and four days, depending on how many ships come a week and if they are on time. But even if I take the job, I would work the first month for free anyway, to show my gratitude for all the furniture that he and his family have given us."

"Sounds to me as if you already know how you will decide."

He did not respond.

"By the way, I also made a decision."

"What?" Now he looked at the other in surprise. "About what?"

"After your suggestion on restructuring the practice, I thought a lot about that and you are right, it is a waste of our resources when Mrs. Paipai, Ninnin, and I are present every day. There are, of course, certain phases when all of us are needed, but it is not good for any of us if we do not also take the necessary breaks. If you’re overworked, you make mistakes, and our mistakes can cost lives."

"Listen to you talking. What is your new plan?"

He threw his legs over the armrest to his right so he could slide down a bit and drop his head on Law’s, who pushed him away, so that he plumped into Law's lap.

"We bundle the weekly appointments to three days, on the other three we take turns to visit one of the three neighboring islands and the other stays on call at home and the one who has only gone to one island takes over the background service on the last day."

"Oh wow," Rosinante muttered, pretending to count with his fingers, "that would mean that you would have not one day off, but up to two days a week. Are you okay? Are you sick?"

Law pinched his side.

"I'm not a workaholic, I just do my job diligently. Besides," he said, "you are right about what you said.”

Surprised, rather frightened, Rosinante looked up to the other.

"You are right with everything you have said. I didn't pay attention to myself. After you risked your life to save me, I mistreated this life I owe to you."

"But Law..."

"From now on, I'll take better care of myself, Cora-san. I don't want you to be sad because of me. I don't want you to worry about me. You're right, especially as a doctor I should know how important it is to put aside unhealthy habits."

"Oh, that’s why you've been in the bathtub for hours... Wait a second, is that the reason why you just stole my cigarette? Because you..."

Almost innocently, Law looked down on him.

"Smoking is unhealthy, Cora-san, and I'm not forcing you to stop, but if I'm already making the effort to take care of myself, trying to have my six hours of sleep - "Seven to eight hours of sleep are healthly." "- I will definitely not get cancer by passive smoking," he said.

"You're so mean," Rosinante muttered, not even trying to sound serious. "But I'm looking forward to having more time together soon."

Law nodded and began stroking Rosinante's hair.

"Ninnin is developing really well. I would not have thought that she would be able to work so independently so quickly, otherwise I would not take this step and of course she must agree first, and we have to see how she manages so many days on her own, but Mrs. Paipai was very enthusiastic; has even offered to accompany Ninnin during her first trips so she won’t be totally on her own."

"When did you even talk with Mrs. Paipai about that?"

"While you were still in the bathtub. She called to ask if we were fine. She said that only idiots would not recognize the signs of the storm this morning, but..."

"Did you tell her that we are just such idiots?"

"Are you crazy? Her gaze of disappointment is so bad even your brother would be ashamed of his misbehavior."

Rosinante laughed quietly.

"Maybe I should take her along when I'm going to Impel Down. Perhaps she can do a miracle. Did she say how long the storm will last."

"She said if it still rains at sunset, the storm will remain for another three days, if not, it will be over by tomorrow morning."

"Okay, nice to know, but have you taken a look outside. It’s not even afternoon and it's pitch black out there."

"Speaking of afternoon and healthy lifestyle, should we prepare something to eat? I haven't had breakfast and I'm starving.”

Loudly sighing, Rosinante sank even deeper into the comfortable cushion.

"But I just got out of the bathtub. After bathing, you should rest."

"Sluggard," Law playfully scolded him, before pushing Rosinante off his legs and straightening up. "Okay, you can stay here. I'll make something for us, but don't complain later if you don't like it."

The other kissed him on the forehead and walked towards the kitchen.

"Spice everything just twice as much as you think would be enough and it's going to be fine."

Comfortable in their warm home, with Law at the kitchen, himself in his cuddly bathrobe and the storm at the door, Rosinante nodded off.

"It stops raining."

"Hmm?" Law looked up from his book.

"Yes, I can even see a few strips of blue sky – I think – so that means that it will be good weather again from tomorrow."

"That’s good, I can really do without rushing through such a storm to the practice tomorrow."

"Admit it. You're relieved that Ninnin didn't call, not even to ask a question."

"Well, probably no one dared to call her in this weather."

Rosinante turned away from the glass wall and walked towards Law, who folded his book and laid it aside.

"You go to bed?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I want to speak to Mr. Sansan early tomorrow morning," Rosinante confirmed, leaning down so Law could kiss him.

"Put on the blue shirt with the white insert on the collar."

"Do you think I'm going to need something like this, need to look fancy?"

Law grinned.

"No, but you'll come to the practice afterwards to ask Ninnin for swimming lessons and to tell me the news about your new work, and I like that shirt on you."

Rosinante huffed in amusement.

"Despite your terrible taste in fashion, almost all of my clothes are the ones you bought me in the beginning. I assumed you like all of them on me."

"A guy wearing pink pajamas with hearts on has no right to criticize my taste in clothes."

"Corazon literally means _heart,_ so I put on what I want and you didn't complain about the underpants with hearts."

"No, I didn’t."

He decided to ignore Law’s almost nasty grin and walked to the door.

"If you come in later, please leave the light out, otherwise I'll wake up, okay?"

"Excuse me?" Law looked at him surprised and Rosinante sighed again.

"Do you really think that after your story this afternoon, I would ever let you sleep alone in your big, cold bed?"

“Cora-san…”

“You said you can't sleep because you're always cold, but yesterday morning you slept like a baby. My bed is big enough and we used to sleep together often to warm each other. But," he pointed out, "do not try to do anything indecent. I just want to sleep and have an important conversation tomorrow, so don’t you dare waking me up."

"Aye, aye," Law smiled, before getting up, coming up to him and pulling him down to kiss him again. "Thank you."

"Love you, little one."

"I love you, too."


	16. Chapter 15 - Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> here is the new chapter, unfortunately I'm a bit in a hurry, so no long introduction (I hear the sighs of relief ;-P) and it will me take somewhat longer to answer y'all, please be patient with me ;-)
> 
> Have a great weekend!

Chapter 15 - Changes

“Cora-san!”

Surprised, he turned around. Law came along the harbor, a lunch box wrapped in a heart-embroidered cloth in his arm.

"Liuliu, can you take over?" Rosinante asked, pressing his clipboard into his assistant's hands. "Make sure they're securing everything correctly this time. These plates are worth millions, if only one splits, your father will deduct that from your salary."

The youngster nodded only seriously and took the clipboard, while Rosinante rushed over to the landing bridge.

"What are you doing here, Law?" He asked with a broad smile as he reached the other. "Are you already done for today?"

"Sorry to bother you at work," Law muttered, and a slight redness crept over his nose, "but you forgot your lunch, it was still in the kitchen."

"And you took the time to bring it to me? Oh, Law!" He happily hugged the other and almost made both of them fall. "That's nice. However, I will hardly have the time to eat today. All three ships still have to leave today and..."

"You didn't have lunch yesterday and when you got home you were so exhausted that you hardly ate any dinner." Law was relentless as always.

"And that comes from you? Since when are you the expert? Just because you go to bed earlier for a few weeks and have more than just coffee for breakfast." He grinned slightly as Law stared back unimpressed. "I told you that the days will be tough when all ships arrive at the same time, but the advantage is that if we can do everything today, I will be free tomorrow."

Law still didn't look convinced, but apparently didn't want to discuss further, as he just raised both hands and looked at the ship.

"You enjoy the work, don't you?"

Rosinante didn't respond, just regarded the other.

"Okay, then go back, Cora-san. The longer I stay, the later you will come home."

He bent down and allowed Law to kiss him briefly.

"Don't stay up too long to wait for me, okay?"

Law rolled his eyes.

"As if I were going to bed before you’re back. If you want me to go to sleep early, come home early."

Laughing, Rosinante went back to the ship and made sure to tell everyone that Law had brought him his lunch, only to end up sharing it with the half crew when they finished working on the second ship.

He left the village's market square behind. It was already dark, but by now he knew the way like the back of his hand. They had actually managed within two days to unload all three ships and then loaded them with the new goods. Due to the capacity utilization of the port and the labor force, there should never be more than two ships to be supplied at once. But because of a misunderstanding, it had been different this week and that meant they all had to work hard.

To Rosinante’s luck, Sansan's three nephews had apparently made a misstep, and their father had sent them with the goods on both days to help Rosinante. 

The oldest of them, Liuliu, had worked with Rosinante one or two times before, as he would later take over his father's company, but the other two were unfortunately not as reliable. Nevertheless, Rosinante was grateful for any help, as they had actually managed to complete the work of four days within two and that meant that he had the rest of the week off.

That was also a good thing, because Law had very little to do lately and therefore they had considered going hiking the next free day together. Something they still hadn't done, even though they had already spent several months on Natsu.

There was always something distracting them. At first Rosinante had wanted to learn to swim decently – it really had bothered him for quite some time that he had made little progress for weeks, but two sessions with Ninnin had been enough for him to get the basics – and then they had wanted to repair the veranda and everything else around the house.

The biggest change, however, had been Rosinante's employment, and not just for him. Rosinante had quickly realized that he was good at and even enjoyed his new work. Sansan had joked after the first week already that he didn't need to teach Rosinante much anymore, but very quickly he had turned this joke into reality and after almost two months Rosinante had the feeling that he had never done anything else, so naturally the procedures were to him by now and so well he already knew the individual dockworkers and crew members of the different ships.

His tasks were not only to supervise loading and unloading, but also to make arrangements, to inspect material and to ensure that contracts got complied with and, if possible, to resolve errors directly by himself. Sometimes he even mucked in himself, especially on days like this, when every pair of hands was needed, but he liked to do that. All in all, he had quickly become accustomed to the work, and from his first paid salary, he had invited Law to dinner.

Law, on the other hand, seemed to have his problems, nicely expressed. Although he supported Rosinante and really wanted to encourage him, it was more than obvious that he hated coming home and Rosinante was not there. Too often he came to the harbour, mostly with flimsy excuses, to make sure Rosinante was doing well – the Vivre Card didn't seem to reassure him the least – and no matter how late it was, Law was waiting for him.

It was awkward for Rosinante, he really didn't like the fact that his absence was so hard for Law to bear. At the same time, he thought that Law was kind of exaggerating. But he admitted that Law was trying and probably just needed a few more weeks to get used to the change.

As expected, light greeted him from the dining room, and when Rosinante came in, Law stood in the kitchen, a huge bowl of salad in front of him. As soon as his gaze fell on Rosinante, his face lit up and a small smile slid over his lips.

“What the hell do you look like?"

"Like a man who worked all day, thank you."

"Go, take a shower, Cora-san, the food can't get cold."

Rolling his eyes, he dropped on the counter.

"Do I have to? I'm so tired, I just want to eat something and then go to bed.”

Unimpressed, Law regarded him.

"You don’t get into bed that dirty."

"It's still my bed."

"Fine, you don't get into your bed that dirty."

For a moment, they stared at each other, then Rosinante gave in.

"For all I care, but you're to blame when I fall asleep and drown."

"If you manage to drown in the bathtub after even learning how to swim, I will laugh at you and write on your tombstone _Here rests an idiot_."

"Tze," he waved off and went to the bathroom.

He liked how things developed with Law. In the beginning it had been difficult for both of them, but now this life together on this island was exactly what they both had hoped for.

Of course, Rosinante had made concessions in certain areas, but it was not as if he did not get any benefits from it. For both of them, their relationship seemed to be very clear. Law expected no more than Rosinante could give, and Rosinante accepted whatever Law offered him.

They spoke very openly to each other, in the last few weeks Law had also talked more and more often about things that had happened during Rosinante's absence and slowly he seemed to process these things, slowly he seemed to become really happy.

At times, Rosinante wondered if Law was missing his other friends, just as he wanted to see Sengoku again, but he didn't ask such questions. Law would talk if he was willing to do so, and Rosinante wouldn't push him.

Behind him, the door opened, and Law came in.

"What are you scheming?" Rosinante asked, with his eyebrows raised, as he continued to undress.

"I want to wash your hair," Law said innocently, "and if you're so tired, you certainly won’t mind."

"You have dirty ulterior motives, I can see it in your face," he replied with a roll of his eyes, settling on the stool.

"And if so, would that be a bad thing?" Law whispered close to his ear, his hands almost touchless slipping over Rosinante's shoulders up to his neck. "Would you dislike it?"

"I'm tired, Law," he muttered, but couldn't fight sinking against those hands, "the last two days have been exhausting, I really don't need any more activities today."

Law turned the water on and began to brush Rosinante’s hair.

"And what if I spoil you again? Just like the first time? You liked that, didn't you?"

"I'm certainly not going to last a night like that today, Law."

"I'm not talking about the whole night, just about the first time. I spoil you and you relax."

Rosinante grabbed Law's wrist, with which he held the showerhead, and then looked up to him.

"I've told you before, if we do it, we do it right. I'm not going to take advantage of you, not for quick sexual gratification.”

Law leaned slightly over him, then bent forward and placed his forearms on Rosinante's shoulders, hugging him from behind, only showering Rosinante's feet.

“And I've told you you're not taking advantage of me. I want to do it because it makes me very happy. But it doesn't if you don’t want to have sex with me."

Rosinante put his free hand on Law's head and stroked his hair.

"It's the same every time," he muttered dissatisfied, "you worry that I'm just doing it so I won't hurt you and I'm worried that I'm taking advantage of your feelings for me."

Law leaned his head against Rosinante’s and nodded slightly.

"That's true, but that's the way things are, that's how we feel, and as long as we talk about it, everything is fine."

"When did you suddenly grow up?" He laughed softly, leaning against the other.

Yes, although at first glance their relationship seemed simple and plain, it was also complicated and both were afraid of doing something wrong. Just because they no longer had any secrets from each other, they knew how to deal with their situation, but that didn’t mean it was easy, some days it was and some days not so much.

"Actually, it's quite simple," Law muttered against his neck, "I don't need to worry about you, because you also get your share and you could say ‘no’ at any time and you don't need to worry because I might as well have been taking advantage of your feelings for me."

Again, Rosinante laughed.

"That's a bit cynical, Law."

"Let me wash your hair, Cora-san."

He let the other do whatever he wanted to. He liked it when Law drove through his hair, it relaxed him like hardly anything else.

"Have you already decided when you want to visit Sengoku?" Law asked, and there was the reason for the subliminal tension.

"Soon," he replied softly. "But you're not ready yet."

" _Me?"_ Law quipped and massaged the shampoo into his hair. "It's not about me."

"Yes, it is," he disagreed in the same tone as before. "You are the most important one to me, Law, and as long as your fear still overshadows your trust, I will not risk anything."

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Law grumbled, washing out the shampoo. "I trust you, you know that, and I'll always worry about you, precisely because of your clumsiness. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go.”

“But you don't trust me to come back, Law, so I'm not going to leave unless you come along.”

Law sighed quietly.

“I don't know if that would be wise. I'm a former pirate and I'm actually trying to stay out of the public eye, but if I were to travel with you to Kaikkien Maiden, it would certainly cause a lot of attention."

"So what?" He took the offered showerhead and began to wash his body off. "I just want to tell Sengoku and my brother by myself; I don't care what the world thinks."

The other remained silent for a moment.

"I'm not ready to face Sengoku again," he finally said. “I've lied to him all those years about you. He's going to be angry.”

Rosinante rose and reached for the towel Law offered him. He was too tired to take a bath.

"He will be grateful, Law, perhaps confused at the beginning, like I was, but grateful." Law just nodded without looking at him. “But as I said, you're not ready yet, so I'm not going to leave yet. We're in no hurry, right?"

Now the other showed half a smile.

"Law, let's skip dinner and go straight to bed."

"What? How was that again with three meals a...?"

"The way you're looking, I want to cuddle up against you and fall asleep by your side and tomorrow I'll make us some grand breakfast."

The smile grew and Law just nodded.

"You're such a softie, Cora-san."

"Well, that's okay. I have no problem with being a softie. Besides, pink looks damn good on me and make-up, by the way, too."

He put on his bathrobe and took Law by the hand.

"Come, let's go to sleep."

"Let me at least put the salad in the fridge first."


	17. Chapter 16 - A way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> so here at the moment it's the middle of the night (I wasn't sure if I would have time to upload the next days, so I just decided to go ahead and post it now before finally going to bed^^), so I hope you guys are a little bit more awake than I am while reading this ;-)  
> I hope you will enjoy this little chapter.
> 
> See you next week ;-)

Chapter 16 – A way

"We have to take the right path over there," Law explained, looking up from his map, "and then we will head straight towards the lake. It's not that far anymore."

"That's about the twentieth time you said that," Rosinante grumbled, leaning against a tree.

This was by far the longest hiking route Law had ever chosen in recent weeks. Until now, they had always been travelling one or two hours, but today Law had pushed him out of bed before sunrise and for almost six hours now they were walking up a mountain. Just at the thought that they had to walk the whole way back as well, Rosinante felt sick.

He might have the longer legs, but Law clearly had the better stamina, or he was just better at hiking, whatever it was, Rosinante was fighting for his breath while Law showed barely any exhaustion.

"Should we take a break?" Law asked patiently, smiling slightly.

"No, unless your _it’s not that far anymore_ is another hour again."

"Come on, let's walk together." Law took his hand and together they continued.

Rosinante wasn’t that enthusiastic about hiking, he liked a nice long walk, but he saw no point in staggering up a huge mountain, only to wade down on the other side. In addition, the paths were mostly unstable and uneven, Rosinante had already fallen countless times and only Law's quick interventions had mostly prevented worse.

However, he knew that Law liked it, and since he liked to spend time with Law – and that bullhead rarely demanded anything he liked - Rosinante did it for his sake.

In consensual silence, they walked side by side.

Oh, actually, if he was honest, he didn't think the whole trip was that bad. The forest in the early morning had been fascinating, the sunrise over the sea beautiful, and Law's sparkling eyes simply breathtaking.

"It's over there," Law muttered, but all Rosinante could see at the horizon were rough stones and behind them the blue of the sky, in the background a few mountain peaks.

But then he stopped.

“Wow.”

"Yeah, right?"

In front of them was the entire inland of the island, framed by the high mountains that flowed into the sea, with the exception of the small village at the harbour, outside the mountain range where they had settled several months ago.

Rosinante just looked over miles and miles from a bird's point of view. To his right a river emerged that flowed into a huge, glittering lake in what seemed just an arm's length away, at the foot of the mountain.

The green of the trees seemed to dance in the gentle summer wind and the dots of countless flowers stood out from the sea of grass. In the distance he could see individual villages, some closer, some further away.

And behind the island was the sea. No, that was wrong. Everywhere around them was the sea, the waves broke in the glittering midday sun. Rosinante thought he could see the shadow of a giant sea cow beneath the water before he spotted the outlines of the spring island Haru and there, little more than a shadow at the horizon, he could recognize it, even from here, the Red Line.

"Cora-san, come here." Surprised, he interrupted his amazement when Law noted him to walk on and led him over to the small stream, which grew only meters below them to a raging river. Between spots of grass, they settled down and unpacked their lunch.

They barely spoke a word, it was not necessary, but looked at the world around them, the small and great wonders of nature.

Even after they had eaten, they stayed, showed each other things they had discovered and talked about this and that, Law beamed happily and laughed like never before, and now Rosinante knew that he could enjoy hiking, at least as long as Law was with him.

Eventually they began their way back again and Rosinante quickly rejected the just-conceived thought.

But then he noticed that Law's smile had faded, his gaze absently directed to the ground.

"Law, are you alright?" He asked, reaching for the other's hand.

"Of course," Law replied almost too quickly. "I'm just a little exhausted. Maybe I haven't slept enough."

It was a lie, Rosinante recognized it immediately.

"You know," he muttered, "you know I just decided it's time."

Law paused for a moment before he went on, his eyes firmly on the way in front of him.

"You saw the Red Line," he simply remarked.

"I did."

Law nodded.

"That's good. I have a very bad conscience for keeping it from Sengoku for so long. I also think it's time."

"As I said, Law, I'd love you to come along. It wouldn’t take us longer than one week."

Law shook his head and rushed along the path.

"No, no, I can't leave Ninnin alone with the practice for so long. Also..."

"Law." He stopped, and as he was still holding the other’s hand, he forced Law to do the same. "Ninnin is really good by now. She no longer needs a babysitter and hasn't called you once during her last shifts. I don't think she has anything against it if you accompany me. So please..."

Slowly Law looked up, could barely hide his insecurity or whatever it was, before he finally smiled weakly.

"All right," he said, nodding, "let's go together. When do you want to leave?"

They continued their journey more slowly than before.

"Well, I have to discuss it with Sansan first. Liuliu will be able to jump in for me, I think he is doing quite well." He thought for a moment. "It would be best if I spoke to Sansan tomorrow and we leave the day after, okay?"

Law just nodded.

"Hey, you don't need to be nervous. Sengoku will not be angry and I have promised you that I will not leave you behind."

"I know," Law whispered, "but no matter what happens, please don't forget that I love you, Cora-san."

Those words almost frightened him, but he suspected that Law was even more afraid of what was to come.

"As if I'd ever forget, Law," he replied softly, "and no matter what, don't you forget that I love you, little one."

"When will you ever stop calling me that?" Now Law sounded a little more like himself.

"Maybe if you get taller than me."

The other gave him only a roll of the eyes and together they continued their march.

The next morning came quickly.

Today Rosinante would have to arrange everything for their trip the next day and probably have to talk to Law again.

The whole last day the other had been strangely quiet, probably very nervous because of tomorrow's trip. In bed, he had almost clawed into Rosinante’s skin, like a small child during a nightmare, something he hadn't done for months.

It unsettled Rosinante, but it also reassured him that they had to overcome this hurdle, the faster, the better, and then they could continue their happy life.

He sat up sleepily. He had to admit that he was also nervous, but it was a rather joyful expectation to see Sengoku again. But he could understand Law well, because he too was afraid of what might come, or rather, of the moment when he would face his brother. But Law was also right, it was time for them to face the past.

To his surprise, Law was no longer next to him. Probably he had not been able to sleep well and had already decided to discuss the next few days with Ninnnin and Mrs. Paipai.

Sighing, Rosinante stretched and also got up. The sooner he would get through the formalities, the sooner he would be able to talk to Law.

But after leaving the bathroom, he couldn't find Law in the kitchen or on the porch. A quick glance into the study revealed to him that the other was not there either.

Confused - and slightly concerned as he was - he also checked Law's former bedroom, which was as abandoned as the last few months, more of a storage room by now, before deciding to call the practice.

To his surprise, Ninnin picked up. When asked, she denied that Law was there. However, he had apparently called her in the early hours of the morning and told her that the practice would be her responsibility for the coming days.

It was meant to reassure Rosinante that Law apparently wanted things straightened out and prepared for their departure, but a bad feeling in the stomach area told him otherwise.

Again he checked the porch, the beach, and the kitchen, but couldn't find Law anywhere and it didn't fit the other to not even leave a note when he went shopping or something like that.

Suddenly Rosinante found himself in the other's study again, unaware of why his feet had carried him there, but then he saw it.

The desk – usually besieged with countless books, transcriptions, piles of paper and what not yet – was completely empty, only the small transponder snail for the on-call service and a small scrap of paper lay there, which was constantly crawling towards Rosinante.

“Law?”

Then he looked up and noticed that the sword, which had slept so innocently on the shelf, was missing.

Panic overcame him and the next moment he ran down the way to the harbor.

But, of course, he knew he was going to be far too late. At the pier, gasping for air, he looked out to the open sea.

Law was gone.

His heart was threatening to break apart, but he forced himself to think calmly, he had to find a solution and he knew exactly what to do.

He rushed back to the house, called Sansan and told him he would be out for a few days because of an emergency. Then he walked back into Law's study and reached for the famous transponder snail. It didn't have a dial, so he just hoped he was doing the right thing.

For several seconds the snail beeped quietly and Rosinante was already about to pursue his plan B, but finally somebody picked up.

A dark, slightly annoyed-sounding voice replied, "Yeag?"

If Rosinante were someone else – and if he didn't have his own problems – that voice might have intimidated him, but right now it just made him angry.

"Is there the ship of straw hats?"

“Hmm?”

"If you’re one of the straw hats I want to know!"

For a second it was quiet on the other side.

"You’re the one, who called, so you should know," the stranger replied grumpily.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes," he growled.

"I’m not either," the other grumbled just as darkly, "and since we were just talking about not being in the mood for things..."

"Wait!" He grabbed the speaker tighter. "I'm a friend of Law, I need your help."

"Hu?" It came from the other side. "He’s in trouble?"

"I think so."

"You think?" The other sounded even more suspicious than before. "You didn't know who you were calling, you don't know who I am, and you just think..."

The other interrupted himself as footsteps emerged and several other voices suddenly grew loud, falling silent at once as if at behest.

"So, once again," said the other, "you think Law is in trouble and want our help?"

"What? Tra-guy is in trouble?!" A loud voice asked in between, which was then silenced by another person.

"Exactly," Rosinante agreed, wondering if he was speaking with the legendary straw hat.

"What's your name?" The main talker asked.

“I can't say that.”

"Why should we believe you?"

"You have no reason to believe me. But when Law told me about you, he said that _if the Straw Hat calls, we are coming._ So now I just hope you come when he needs your help."

Again, the other remained silent, straining Rosinante's patience, before he heard soft voices in the background, apparently the crew members shared their several opinions with each other.

"Okay," said the man with the dark voice again, "why did you call us?"

“I want to know if Law mentioned anything to you the last time you saw him that could give an indication about the problem he's in.”

Again, he received no more than a few voices denying this, but then a woman replied, "Well, given his choice of words, we can probably assume that he did not expect to see us again alive."

"What?" Rosinante whispered unanimously with a few other voices.

"Yes, maybe he's dead by now."

“Robin!”

"What?" He felt powerless on his side of the line. "What do you mean by that?"

Once again, the woman talked: "He didn't say anything out loud, but... I recognized this look."

"Great," growled the man who had spoken first, "another one."

"What does that mean?" asked Rosinante, confused.

"That means we're coming," his interlocutor replied, while some loud voices in the background spoke incomprehensibly to each other. "Command of the Captain. Where do we have to go?"

Perplexed by the sudden change of heart, Rosinante looked at the transponder snail.

"To Kaikkien Maiden."

"What a coincidence," murmured the other rather dismissive as the other voices seemed to disappear, "that was our next goal one way or another. Just wait a second..." He could hear departing steps, the banging of a door, silence, and then steps came closer again.

"We should be there in two days and but let me warn you, _friend_ of Law, if this is a trick, you will regret it."

“See you in two days," Rosinante said, hanging up.

For a moment he took a deep breath, then he rushed through the house, grabbed the most necessary things, grabbed his cap, and set off, pulling it deep over his head, almost ripping off the little hearts at the ends.

From the beginning he had known it, had known that Law had been hiding something from him, had excused it by saying that Law wanted to protect him, that Law did not want him to find out who he really was, that Law wanted to forget the past, that Law did not want to face Sengoku, but the moment he had seen the Vivre Card in the study, he had known that all this was not true.

Law was in trouble and Rosinante had done the only sensible thing he could think of. He had called Law's friends, at least those he could contact, for help. Whatever enemy would oppose him, he was pretty sure that the strongest crew in the world would probably be a good ally.

But that didn't change the fact that he had no idea where Law was, still he had a guess who would know the answer, because there was the second infit in Law's behavior.

Just in time Rosinante reached the first ferry of the day to Haru and impatiently lit a cigarette.

Law had deliberately prevented him from visiting Sengoku and his brother, had been reluctant to do so for months, and now that he knew he couldn't stop it without it being noticed, he had left. That meant one of them had to know something and Rosinante would find out what.

Chewing on his filter, he stared out to the open sea, not allowing his feelings to gain the upper hand, because then he would no longer be able to do what he had to do.

"But I swear by God, Law," he growled, "when this is all over, we’re gonna talk, you idiot!"


	18. Chapter 17 - Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> guess what? It's time again^^ After some productive (and long...) working hours I decided to do something really nice today, so here you go guys, the new chapter^^ Hope you will enjoy it and see you next week (with one of my personal favorite chapters^^)
> 
> Sharry

Chapter 17 - Lie

The sun was still hidden behind the waves as he finally reached Kaikkien Maiden with the night train.

The past day had been hell. He had been able to do nothing but wait and now he was here and although he had been expecting this day for months, he could not take his own feelings into account now, was not allowed to worry about his own feelings for now. This here was not about him, he needed a leveled head to save Law from whatever trouble he was in, and the one person, who could help him was inside of that administrative building.

He had thought about breaking in, but he didn't know the circumstances and didn't know what kind of new weapons the world had developed over the past 18 years, so he had chosen the main entrance.

Following the few early risers, he came to the entrance control.

"ID," the security guard murmured coolly.

"I don't have one," he replied coldly.

"Then I can't let you in."

"Can you give Sengoku a message from me?"

She looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Do I look like a post-gull?"

"It's important. It's a matter of life or death.”

Now she rolled her eyes.

“Excuse me, but it's always about life or death. If I have everyone who..."

“01746.”

“What?”

So he had been right, her posture, the accurate perfection with which she wore her uniform.

"A Marine code, please send it to Sengoku."

For a moment she looked at him, then she nodded and stepped aside.

"I understand, if you would please follow me."

Surprised by her sudden help, he was only too happy to follow her. Apparently luck was back on his side. People seemed to have become much kinder and more helpful over the last two decades than they were in his time.

He followed her through the entrance, up a few stairs, and through a door and suddenly several hands grabbed him from behind.

He tried to defend himself – could hardly believe that he had let himself be caught by such an obvious trick – but gave in when the woman in front of him pointed her gun at him.

"You are arrested."

“What?!”

"Take him away."

"Wait! What? No, please listen to me. Tell Sengoku..."

The two guards behind him dragged him away. The gun at his back made it clear to him that fighting was probably not a good idea, so he allowed them to take him to some kind of interrogation room and chain him to a table with odd handcuffs.

So he sat there, unable to do anything and not aware of any mistake. He had done nothing forbidden. As far as he knew, the Marine codes had no power anymore, but he had assumed that another former soldier might have recognized the significance of his code being that of a former special forces unit, they still had a meaning, even if the Marines were no more.

Damn it! What should he do now?! He couldn't afford to be locked up here. With every second, the chance that he would find Law still alive dropped.

But he didn't know what to do. His skills had rusted so much during the last year that he hadn't noticed that he had been lured into a trap, he hadn't even managed to get the keys. He looked at the metal shackles around his wrists, maybe he could break them with Haki.

"I wouldn't do that," remarked a young man with round glasses who had just come in and looked at him with raised eyebrows. "In any case of violence, you get a fierce electric shock, I can't recommend."

"This is a misunderstanding."

"Is it?" Said the other, sitting down opposite him and placing a folder on the table. It strongly reminded Rosinante of the interrogations of his past, but he had never been the one handcuffed.

The man in his suit looked at him for a moment.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Can't say."

"What did you want here?"

"Talk to Sengoku," Rosinante replied the truth.

"How do you know Sengoku?"

"Can't say."

"Why did you mention the Marine code 01746?"

"Can't say."

"Why did you want to talk to Sengoku?"

"Because a friend of mine is in danger and I believe that Sengoku is the only one who can help."

"A friend?" The other repeated. "What's the name of this friend?"

Rosinante hesitated for a moment, but then he realized again that Law was no longer an enemy of justice, even though former pirate, and that every second was precious. Rosinante may not have been able to reveal his own identity, but there was no reason for him to hide Law’s.

"Trafalgar Law," he finally said.

"Trafalgar Law?" The other repeated with an eyebrow raised, to which Rosinante only nodded. "Why can't you tell me who you are?"

“Partly because I'm obliged to maintain secrecy and even if I were to disregard that order, your investigation into my person would contradict my statement and therefore you would probably have to check me for a possible fraud. I cannot sacrifice the time for such a lengthy procedure as long as Law is in danger."

The other tilted his head slightly.

"In what kind of danger is Trafalgar Law?"

“I don't know, but since he wanted to stop me from talking to Sengoku, I assume he has some answers.”

"He wanted to stop you? Trafalgar? And he's the one in danger now? Why should he have stopped you from helping him?"

Not for a second did he dodge those clear eyes when the other pushed up his glasses and looked at him seriously.

"Because he's a fool who cares more about others than about himself and doesn't want to see me in danger."

The other remained silent for a second and scratched his headband, showing a scar hidden underneath.

"Why should the guard pass on the code to Sengoku?"

"Because then he would have understood."

"Would he have known who you are?"

"No, but he knows the code."

"And that's why you assume he would have agreed to meet you?"

"Yes."

The other got up and started walking through the room, something about his steps was strange, uneven, but Rosinante didn’t care enough to pay closer attention.

"How do you explain the following situation? Yesterday morning we got a call that in the next few days someone would show up here trying to get to Sengoku via a Marine code and now you're here."

Rosinante huffed slightly.

"What a bastard."

"You know who that was?"

"Put two and two together, that was Law."

"Why would he do that?"

"That's what I just told you. Whatever a mess he may be in, he tries to deal with it on his own and so that nothing happens to me, he put me in this position."

The other eventually stopped and looked at him with his arms crossed.

"Do you know what the Marine code means?"

Rosinante did not respond.

"You could make it much easier for both of us here if you just told the truth."

"Can't."

"Because you are obliged to maintain secrecy? Or because you fear that I would consider your statement to be a lie?"

"Because it may be that what I have accepted as truth is in fact a lie."

He could see that the government employee wanted to ask another question, but this time he was faster.

"We could also make it much easier for both of us if you just got Sengoku."

The other scratched his headband again, pushing his glasses further back.

"Do you understand my reluctance to give you exactly what you want without really knowing what you are actually going to do?"

"Then show him a picture of me," he said coldly, "and then he should decide if he wants to come here."

"Why should I do this."

"If he doesn't come, I'll answer all your questions."

"You do realize that this deal is making me feel less likely to comply with your request?"

"You know what, I don't have time for any interrogation games. You seem to do your job well and know what you're doing, but with every second here we're gambling for Law's life, so please..."

"He's coming."

“What?”

He looked surprised when the other covered his ear with one hand.

“Of course we sent Sengoku a picture of the surveillance tapes directly after you asked for him so obsessively and I just got the message that he's on his way and I'm supposed to tell you not to do anything until he's there.”

He could see the other being confused about the strange command.

Rosinante, however, was no less confused; how had the official received his instructions?

But when the other dropped his hand, he could see a tiny transponder snail over his ear, which had adapted perfectly to his headband.

Now that he couldn't do anything but wait, he took a closer look at the other. He was young, younger than Rosinante himself, but he too had this posture.

"You're a former soldier?" He asked, to break the silence and perhaps get some information, now that the other had to interrupt his interrogation and perhaps became careless.

The other nodded after a second.

"I was captain," he finally replied.

So he would have been superior to Rosinante if the Marines would still exist.

“But that was a long time ago. I have seen that the Marines served as the executive body of the world government in a sickening system, and since I have committed myself to justice, I have overthrown this system."

"So you are an ally of the straw hat?"

For a moment those honest eyes lightened up, but then the door opened and the former captain was forgotten.

"But..."

Rosinante fought back tears as his superior and father figure stood in front of him. He had grown old, nearly twenty years and a multitude of wars and losses had taken their toll on him and suddenly Rosinante regretted not having visited him much earlier.

Sengoku looked at him for a moment, then turned to the officer.

"Thank you, Corby, you can go. Turn off the recordings and give me the key."

"Are you...? Yes, sir."

"You don't need to salute; such days are over."

"Of course, sir."

Rosinante remained silent until the door behind the officer fell shut.

"So," Sengoku said very coolly, "what are you?"

“What?”

"These handcuffs are made of a special material that discolors when in contact with devil fruit users. So your ability has nothing to do with devil powers. What then?"

Suddenly he understood. For a moment, he became ice cold.

"I understand," he replied hollowly, "of course. Law made you believe I'm dead, so you think I'm an imposter who imitates your deceased ward to get to you."

He sighed. He hadn't imagined it that way.

"What the hell have you gotten us into, Law?" He murmured.

The old man looked at him for a long time. Whatever he thought was unrecognizable to Rosinante. He must have changed, back then he would have asked for the truth with a demanding voice. He had always been easily irritable and would probably have slammed him against the next best wall, but now...

"So you claim that you're not an impostor?"

"Do we have to go through these questions again now, Sengoku? My name is Donquixote Rosinante, my Marine code is 01746, you took me in at the age of eight and raised me to be a soldier, like a son. I was a commander and then I went on a secret mission to my brother..."

"Enough is enough." Now he could hear the quiet rage he had already expected. "I don’t care how you got all that information about Donquixote Rosinante, but..."

"Law is in danger!" He tried to stan up, but the table was welded to the ground so that he could only stand in a bent position. "He manipulated me so that I wouldn't contact you beforehand, but you know something, otherwise he wouldn't have set me this trap, so..."

"What a nonsense! How dare you..."

"It’s the truth!" He took a step forward and could feel the electric shock whipping through his limbs. "You have to believe me!"

"I don't _have to_ do anything!"

"I survived! Law ate the Op-Op fruit on Minion and saved me. He made a mistake and I was in a coma for years..."

"Nonsense!"

"It's..."

"It's a lie." Now Sengoku approached him and suddenly he was the Fleet Admiral from back then Rosinante knew. "Trafalgar Law did not save Donquixote Rosinante. His brother Donquixote Doflamingo shot him."

"That’s what I'm trying to explain to you! I did not..."

"And do you want to know how I know this? Because I was there and saw his body."

“What?”

“If you know exactly who Rosinante was, then you also know what he meant to me. How dare you come here, use his name, face, and voice and lie to me in the face that he might have survived if I was the one who carried his cold corpse away, when I was the one who buried him?!"

Rosinante staggered back and fell on the chair, barely noticing the electric shock.

"But... but that's impossible," he whispered.

"This is the first time we agree."

"No, I... Law said he saved me... he said that Doffy did shoot at me, but he didn’t shoot me..." He rubbed his forearms over his chest as he remembered the gunshots. "He said he had almost lost me several times... my heart had stopped and therefore... my devil powers have disappeared... But... but that's..."

“What?”

Surprised, he looked up.

Sengoku looked at him suspiciously, and Rosinante became aware of the one thing that only Law, Sengoku, and himself knew. Once again, he decided to put his emotions aside for the time being and first solve the problem right in front of him.

"I had eaten the calm-calm fruit, but I can't prove it to you anymore because I lost my ability." He snapped his fingers. "You see? But maybe you wouldn't believe me anyway, because I'm wearing these weird handcuffs."

"How do you know all this?" Sengoku asked.

"Because I tell the truth, or at least what I thought was the truth. I'm Rosinante and Law somehow brought me back to life and now he's gone and I'm here.”

"The raid," Sengoku whispered, stumbling a few steps back and eventually slipping to the ground at the wall, "the desecrated tombs last year. But this is impossible, there are no such abilities. No one can revive the dead..."

Then the old man looked at him.

"Rosinante?" He asked, almost hesitantly. "Is this really you?"

When he saw the tears in the old man's eyes, he could no longer stop his own.

"Yes, I... Commander Donquixote Rosinante returns from mission. I failed. I'm sorry.”

And then he wept as the arms of the man, who had always been like a father to him, finally embraced him.


	19. Chapter 18 - Deeds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody,
> 
> hope you're having a great day ;-)  
> This chapter is somewhat special to me. I wasn't planning on writing it, but just doodled a little bit, but then I liked it so I decided to keep it, and I hope you'll enjoy it as well.
> 
> So, see you next week^^

Chapter 18 - Deeds

“I still can't believe it. It should be impossible," Sengoku muttered, handing him a cup of green tea before putting a bowl of seaweed crackers on the table. "You still look exactly like you did back then."

"Well, not like that's longer a surprise," Rosinante replied grumpy, trying to guess the missing pieces of the puzzle, "of course I haven't aged for seventeen years. After all, the dead don't age."

"Rosinante...?"

Upset, he got up, drove through his hair, and paced through the room.

After Sengoku had finally believed him and they had spent a few seconds in an emotional reunion, they were now in his office on some ship that would take them to Impel Down. Rosinante didn't want to waste any time, he had believed Law had prevented him from talking to Sengoku because he would know what had happened to Law. But now he knew that Law had just wanted to avoid Sengoku blowing up his lies.

This meant that Rosinante’s last chance for answers was his brother.

"Damn it!" He cursed loudly. "Like an idiot I let myself be taken in, let him outsmart me. I thought he was just afraid of facing you. I should have known that his devil powers are not able to freeze time. I knew exactly..."

"Rosinante." He interrupted himself when his foster father's strong hand grabbed his shoulder. "You said Law is in danger, that's why you're here."

He looked at the other and nodded.

“Law told me he kept me alive - in a _timeless room,_ or so he called it - but that was obviously a lie. He lied to me and he knew you knew the truth, so he kept me from visiting you much earlier because his lie would have been revealed. My brother killed me."

Deeply inhaling, he dropped back onto the armchair and reached for his tea.

Sengoku settled down again as well, opposing him.

"And you say Law brought you back to life? That's impossible. His devil power may be able to grant somebody else eternal life, but even he cannot bring back the dead, even Law cannot do such a thing."

"Don’t you think I know that? After all I was the one, who got him that stupid fruit back then. I know exactly where the limits of his power lie. But his power is not the only one that can play with life. There are certainly other devil fruits and he... oh no, he probably exchanged the eternal life for me."

Sengoku sighed.

"Okay, let me catch up for a second. So you say a year ago - " "Almost eleven months ago. " - okay, so about eleven months ago you came to your senses and Law told you he saved your life with his ability, but you hadn’t aged and were unconscious or something."

Rosinante nodded.

"And after you understood all this and so on Law kept you from visiting me because he knew I was going to expose his lies immediately and now at one morning he was just up and gone and you think something happened to him?"

“I know he's in danger. I was always aware that he kept something from me, but the more I would have pressed him, the less he would have told me and I mean, he has been through several wars and had a traumatic childhood and youth, of course he would have his secrets."

"But that doesn't mean..."

"I made him a Vivre Card, he left it and took his sword; if that isn’t an obvious message then I don’t know what is. I told him the day before that it was about time to finally meet you and the next day he was gone. Whenever we talked about the future, he became absentminded and sad. I thought he was like this, because he was afraid I would disappear, but now I think he knew from the beginning that he wouldn't be there. It was never about me facing my past at some point, but that he had done something that would hinder him from ever being part of that future. The only thing that comes to mind is the most obvious: He has sold his power of eternal life for my life. "

The old man nodded and took a deep sip of his tea.

"Okay, but even if there was a devil fruit user who would be able to bring dead back to life, why are we going to Impel Down now?"

"Because I know only one person who might know who we are looking for."

"You're talking about your brother?"

"Of course, hardly anyone is as obsessed with life and death as Doffy. If there is a person who can do something like this, he knows. Maybe he was even the one who told Law about that power back when Law was still a child."

They looked at each other seriously before Sengoku shook his head.

“He's not going to speak. Since he’s in prison, he has not said one helpful word to anyone. Law might have been able to provoke something interesting from him, but he refused to see your brother." He took a cracker. “Not that I could blame him. I was down there only once. Just to make sure de Flamingo was secured after he tried to break out once, and I never planned on going back.”

Rosinante emptied his tea.

"The chance is slim, but I have no other option." He rubbed his face. "I didn't imagine any of this to happen this way, neither with Doffy nor with you. If Law just hadn't..."

"Just had not what?" Sengoku interrupted him. "Don’t say you're angry with him because he's doing things on his own and putting his life at risk for others?"

"Yes, of course I am! I'm mad as hell! I mean, I can even understand why he would do such a thing, but leaving me in the dark, not even telling me the truth..."

"And from whom do you think he got that?"

"Excuse me?" He stared at Sengoku, who, unimpressed, took another cracker. "What are you talking about?"

"I am talking about the man who has given up his task and his life's mission to save some brat. I am talking about the man who lied to this child that everything would go well, knowing full well that his own brother would kill him. I am talking about the man who died to save the life of a moribund child."

He stared at the other in dismay.

"You're angry that Law leaves you ignorant while he gives his life for you? Do you mean after the one person he ever felt close to taught him exactly that you treat people you love this way?"

"What, but that was something..."

"Something completely different? Rosinante, please, he acts just like his great role model, you."

"Nonsense, I'm not his role model, I..."

_I love you, little one._

_It is obvious for me that I would always protect you with my life._

_I know exactly what it's like to do things you will despise yourself for. I know what it's like to have to deny yourself and to lose yourself in the belief that it’s the right thing to do._

_I'm sorry I lied to you, Law, all the time we were together, from the very beginning, but I really didn't want you to hate me._

"Oh, damn it."

_I'm sorry, Cora-san, but I can't just love you with the love of a child anymore, I haven't been able to for a long time._

_Isn't that obvious? I didn't want to lose someone again who was important to me._

_I spent the first 13 years after your death trying to figure out how to take revenge._

_But my greatest fear is that you will leave me as soon as you find out what I have become._

"Oh, damn it!" He rubbed his face. "He does exactly what I did."

"Exactly," Sengoku agreed. "He saves your life in exactly the same shitty way you did back then."

“The difference is that he was a seriously ill kid and I'm twice that age and a former undercover agent.” Sighing, he massaged his temples. "But that's at least something."

"Is it?"

He just nodded and rose again, strode through the room, like a horse eager to leave the stable.

“I suspect Law hasn't settled in this area so close to the Red Line for no reason and if I'm right and Doffy knows something, maybe it's not too late.”

"What are you going to do?"

"I called the straw hats."

Sengoku looked at him with big eyes.

"I thought that whoever the enemy is, it certainly can't hurt to have probably the strongest pirate crew in the world on my side."

"You know the straw hats?"

"No, but I know they're friends with Law and as I understand it, they appreciate that term."

“They’re on their way to Impel Down?”

"No, they wanted to go to Kaikkien Maiden one way or another."

"Oh damn it," Sengoku grumbled, "he may be Garp's grandson, but I really can't stand that guy."

Rosinante stopped.

"But they are Law's friends."

Now the other looked at him coolly.

"So? I can't stand Law either. The only thing that connects him and me is you. He's the reason I lost you.”

"No."

Sengoku tilted his head slightly.

"Do you want to deny that you only died because you neglected your disguise because of him?"

“I don't. But I take the responsibility for my decisions, Sengoku, not Law. And while we’re talking about bad role models, who do you think taught me that you have to save children from the darkness?" Rosinante turned away. “Law was like me, but I wasn't half as good as you. You saved me and raised me, you were like a father all the time. I, on the other hand..."

He took a deep breath.

"I, on the other hand, failed. Most of the time I was absolutely overwhelmed with him and didn't really know if I was doing the right thing at all. Yes, I saved his life, but believe me, I know exactly what price I had to pay for it. I left him alone in this godforsaken world, let him down, and thrown him at the cruelty of this world. I have disappointed you, betrayed my mission, failed to stop my brother. I have failed, I have failed in everything."

He could hear the other man rising and coming over to him.

“You know, I really can't stand Law. He's a cheeky brat, which he tries to hide behind false courtesy."

Rosinante did not want anybody speak ill of Law, but Sengoku continued.

“But I know how important you were to him and whatever he did, I'm grateful to him for you are standing in front of me now. I can't stand Law because you gave up your life for him, because I lost you for him. But it makes me happy to know that someone else loves you as much as I do. You deserve to be happy, Rosinante, so happy, and even though I lost you, tell me, was it worth it? Were you happy when you gave up the mission for Law?"

He couldn't stop the tears as he nodded to the ground.

"And were you happy the past year at his side?"

He buried his face in his arm and sobbed loudly.

"Yes! I was very happy."

Strong hands grabbed his shoulders.

"How can you even believe that you could ever disappoint me?" Sengoku's voice sounded warm and strong, very different from Rosinante, who could barely keep standing on his own legs. "You saved a life, Rosinante. The life of a boy whom the world had given up, and you saved not only his life, but also his soul. You made him the man he is today. A man who would do anything to protect his friends. How could you even think you could disappoint me? I'm so proud of you.”

The tears ran unhindered down his face.

"But... but the mission..."

"Rosinante, I know who you are. You are a generous, kind person, I should never have let you go on this mission. It was cruel to send you after your brother, you must have suffered inexpressibly, to have to take action against your own brother, not only to see all the atrocities but also to carry them out yourself. But all the suffering did not make you cold and merciless, like so many others, but more affectionate and compassionate. You've always been a great soldier, but back then you proved you're so much more. In a world full of cruelty, hatred, and selfishness, you have always remained kind, loving, and selfless. I couldn't be prouder of the man you became."

But now the voice of the other also trembled.

"And I'm so grateful that I got the chance to tell you. No task, no mission, nothing in the world could be as important to me as that you are happy an alive, Rosinante."

His knees gave way and he slumped to the ground.

He had always known that at some point he had to face his deeds, had already known it back then and it had always floated over him like a dark shadow. Back then, and also during the past year, the guilt and shame of his failure – his willful failure – had eaten him up inwardly.

And now, at this hour, when he was about to lose his light in the darkness, Sengoku took the burden of his deeds off his shoulders and pulled him back to the surface.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in tears, "I'm so terribly sorry about all of this!"

Sengoku hugged him tight.

"You don't need to apologize for anything, Rosinante. I'm just grateful you're here now. I am just grateful you came back from your mission in the end. Welcome home, my son."


	20. Chapter 19 - Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish you all a pleasent weekend ;-)
> 
> Today we have the opportunity to welcome a special guest, so please be kind and give a roud of applause;-)
> 
> Curtains up!

Chapter 19 - Encounter

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, stay here."

Rosinante opened the door and stepped into the dark aisle. Only a few torches illuminated the barren stone walls and the air smelled old and stale. Reverberating steps led him past empty cells that stared at him like the dead eyes of wild animals.

For a year he had been preparing for this moment and yet nothing could prepare him for what was about to come.

At the very end of the aisle, a huge cell was awaiting him, and there he found the only prisoner present.

"Ah, what insect got lost in my kingdom?" The prisoner laughed coldly as Rosinante got closer and closer. "Someone has to be quite desperate to come to me. Usually, you people avoid me like peasants the eyes of the king. There hasn't been anyone down here for a long time. What year do we write?"

"You are not king of an empire, but a prisoner of a cell, and we write the year 1529." Rosinante stepped in front of the bars. "But yes, I am desperate and have come here to ask you for help, big brother."

The torches of the hallway cast little more than grotesque shadows into the cell, so that he could hardly identify the other, who was chained to the opposite wall with a multitude of shackles. He was scraggy, emaciated, his hair unkempt and shaggy, hung down to his shoulders, made him look almost like a stranger. His face was hidden in the shadows, but his voice showed that even for him, age had not stopped. Even his powerful brother had to bow to time and had aged. No wonder, Law had grown up, Sengoku had grown old and even his brother was now 45 years old, while time had stopped for Rosinante.

He could see that the other was tilting his head slightly, the light of the torches breaking in the splintered glasses of his sunglasses.

"What's the point of this?" The other asked with a grin. "Do you want to get information through my dead brother's face? Then you truly lack at research. I murdered my own brother back then. There's nothing I would say to this traitor, so quit the masquerade."

_But the truth is, for far too long, I had this tiny hope that I would somehow be able to save him._

"Why do you think I'm here, brother?"

The other laughed quietly.

"Brother? Well, for all I care, it's often boring down here, so we'll play your game."

"It's not a game, just a simple question."

"Because you finally realized that your great justice, the _Nation Association,_ is nonsense. Human nature is selfish and cunning, mindful of its own advantage and greedy. All those out there are lying, if they think a war and a few nice words would change humankind, and you know it. Whoever wants to survive in this world must belong to the powerful and the strong. All these naive words about friendship, charity, and kindness, they are worth nothing the next day. This new world order will fall, like any other, because people are not created for peace."

Now the teeth of a broad grin flashed in the darkness.

"You are here because you know that it is going to perish, this Nation Association, and you do not know which side to choose. The one of the _good,_ who will die for justice and hope, or simply the one of those who want to survive. Fufufu. Your conflict of conscience is in vain, those with a weak will are always the ones who die anyway."

_If I had been the first to shoot, all of this would not have happened._

"You're wrong," Rociante replied, not letting the other's words reach him. "What happens to the Nation Association is not relevant to my visit."

"So? What then, _brother?"_

Rosinante sighed.

"I've wanted to visit you for a long time, but I've delayed it, for Law’s sake."

"Law?" For the first time, the other sounded actually curious.

"Yes, Law. The one who made sure you're locked up here."

Even in the shadows, he could see the veins of anger on the other's forehead.

"Who are you?" This question sounded more like a threat.

"You know that."

"No! I killed my brother, I shot him. He's dead!"

_I'm glad you couldn't kill your brother._

"I remember," he continued, calmly, and did not let his memories overwhelm him, "at that time on Minion. You had your gun pointed at me and I pointed mine at you. I had decided to shoot you, but I couldn't, even though I knew you wouldn't hesitate to shoot me."

He wondered what the other was thinking.

“But the worst thing about the whole situation was that I lied to Law. I told him that you wouldn't hurt me because we are brothers, and he believed me. He was sitting behind me in that box and had to listen to you shooting me and that's my fault because I couldn't kill you."

"What the...?"

"You don't have to believe me. I had not planned that our first meeting would go like this, but today I lack the time to convince you of the truth. All I want to know is whether you know someone who has a devil power to resurrect the dead."

The other remained silent for a moment, tilting his head from one side to the other and back.

"What kind of strategy is this supposed to be? Pretending to be my dead brother to get information that doesn't exist."

“What?”

“I don't know what you're aiming for with your laughable appearance, _brother,_ but although there are some devil powers that can affect life, there are none that could bring the dead back to life, except for the revive-revive fruit, but this only applies to the user. You're wasting my time, your game bores me, so leave."

"No, you know something," Rosinante replied coolly, his arms crossed. "I assume that after Sengoku no one visited you anymore. That means you haven't spoken to anyone for three years. They have deprived you of your newspaper privilege, so you didn't even have the news of the world to kill some time. You have had no idea how many hours, days, weeks, months you have spent here all alone and lonely. You were happy when you heard that someone was coming. You rejoiced at this distraction, even if it were so boring, you would still prefer it to the timeless eternity of your cell. "

"Stop it!" the other growled.

"That means either you know something or you doubt."

"Stop it!"

"If you knew something, it would put you in a position of power, but your reaction tells me..."

"STOP!" The chains were clattering loudly when the other man turned and twisted in his prison. "Go! Leave me alone!"

"Tell me what I want to know and I'll go."

"The devil fruit you are looking for does not exist!" The other breathed heavily, his chained hands clenched to fists.

"Then let me rephrase my question: Is there anyone who could revive a dead person in exchange for eternal life?"

"Law!" It was the grumbling of a beast. "His ability belongs to me!"

"No, brother, he promised it to someone else and I want to know to whom."

The other was still breathing heavily, appearing to tremble with anger, chains clattering. Even now, in this unfortunate state, he still had something royal, something impressive, and that even though he behaved as uncontrollably as a defiant child.

"And when I tell you who, you will disappear?"

"That's the deal."

"And you'll never come back?"

_Your kindness may have been a weakness towards your brother, but because of that you saved me._

"I wouldn't have any reason to."

The other snarled at him.

"All right."

"I hear."

"The boss."

"Who?"

The other tilted his head to the side.

"Nobody knows her real name. She is called the boss and she has the ability to do almost anything as long as you can pay the price. She is some coldblooded businesswoman without morals or conscience."

"Where can I find her?"

"Nah, she usually finds you. But it is rumored that she lives near the Red Line, near Mary Joa, logically. There’s no better way to make billions than with contractors who want everything but don't care about money."

In front of his inner eye, he could see the missing pieces of the puzzle falling into place. At last he knew what the big picture was.

For a moment, he stared at his older brother, who had shot him because Rosinante had betrayed him.

"Have you ever...?"

"That's enough now." The other sounded threatening again. "You wanted to know who she was and I even told you where to find her. I've kept my part of the deal, and now leave.”

Rosinante nodded.

"All right and thank you very much. I will go now.”

_We are human beings, we make mistakes and act according to our feelings and our conscience._

“But I'm sorry, I've lied to you - again - once I've taken care of this thing, I'll come back and we'll talk and I won’t leave after one answer. So until then, big brother."

Loud curses, roars, and screams followed him as he walked down the cold aisle, not turning once for his brother.

"And?" Sengoku asked him when he reached the elevator.

"I need a transponder snail."

"We have one on board."

He folded his arms as they headed back to the surface. Sengoku was circumspect enough not to ask.

An hour later, he dialed a familiar number.

"Practice Natsu, how can I help you...?"

"Mrs. Paipai."

"Corazon, is that you? Ninnin said Doctor Trafalgar had called her and told her she had to take over his appointments, and you disappear the same day without even locking the front door. What happened?"

"Law is in trouble, but I'm taking care of it. But I need your help for that."

"Of course."

"Do you know a woman from the area who is an excellent businesswoman, maybe even from a big company, maybe they always talk about her as the boss?"

"Oh, you're definitely talking about Momo's employer."

_Bingo!_

"You know who she is?"

"Yes, of course. She lives on Aki. Her surname is Doto or something. She is heiress to a wealthy family business, very reserved. Momo, my nephew, works for her. She seems to be a very generous employer."

"Thank you."

"Corazon, tell me, do I have to worry?"

He hesitated, but then he smiled.

"No, Mrs. Paipai, as you know, I am taking care of Law."

But when he hung up, his grin disappeared.

"Rosinante…"

"No," he interrupted Sengoku, who just came through the door. “I don't want to talk about my brother or anything else.”

"Rosinante, Law will be..."

"He could already be dead, Sengoku. He might have died half an hour after leaving and if I had not taken the ferry to Haru, but to Aki, I could have stopped him."

"You didn't know."

“But I should have known. Damn it, lies and secrets are my specialty, I should have recognized what Law is up to. I should have..."

"Rosinante!"

Almost automatically he got tense as only his superior could make him.

“I'm not going to repeat what I said this morning. You can't change the past and you don't know what to expect in the future. So focus on the present, you'll need it."

He looked at the other.

"What do you mean by that?"

"The straw hats have just reached Kaikkien Maiden and are waiting for us."

The group of strange figures who were waiting for him looked at him suspiciously. They seemed to be a motley crew and he did not know if the skeleton or the cyborg fascinated him more.

Then his gaze fell on the apparent leader of the group – even if Rosinante could not see anything that would indicate the straw hat giving the name – who stood half a step ahead of the others, apparently ready for an attack at any time.

"So you're Law's friend," the green-haired man grumbled, and Rosinante recognized his voice. He was the one he had talked to through the transponder snail.

"Yes. My name is Donquixote Rosinante, I believe you have already met my brother."

Disbelief greeted him, conspicuously by some, and barely visible by others.

"Doflamingo had a brother?" Asked a... Raccoon?

"Corazon," replied a blond with a cigarette in his mouth, "that's what Law called him if I'm not mistaken."

Now Rosinante noticed that the blond looked at him suspiciously as well, not as obvious as the one he suspected to be the captain, but also not as inconspicuous as the woman with the black hair.

"Corazon is dead," the leader replied with a bad smile, "so you are..."

"I assure you that this is Donquixote Rosinante, also called Corazon," Sengoku interrupted the other and bowed swiftly.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Suddenly another man with black curls interfered. "Tra-guy brought a dead man back to life?"

Rosinante nodded.

"As I said, he's in trouble."

Suddenly, a dirty grin slid over the leader's face.

"Well, at least it's going to be interesting."

A woman with short orange hair thrust her elbow into the leader's side.

"Law is in danger and you're just thinking about fighting again."

"Where's your captain," Sengoku interrupted the other two, and Rosinante looked up in surprise. In terms of charisma and aura, he could have bet that the green-haired man with the swords to be clearly the captain of the crew.

"Visiting Corby," the non-captain replied with a shrug.

"Are you not also a friend of his, Roronoa?"

Oh, he had read the name in the newspaper before. So this was the best swordsman in the world.

"Nah, I was more curious about Law's friend," Roronoa Zoro grinned, and then looked directly at Rosinante, "could have been a trap."

"Geez, Marimo, since Mystoria you are so suspicious, it’s annoying. Not every stranger is automatically an enemy." 

"Shut up, dart brow, I was just looking forward to a fight, nothing more. Besides, you are the idiot who keeps going on about Mystoria..."

"So Corazon," the woman with the orange hair interrupted the two other, "I may call you Corazon, right? What is the plan?"

Unwell, he turned to her.

"Should we not wait for your captain."

"No," replied all the other attendees - including Sengoku - unanimously, rolling their eyes.


End file.
